Love's Lament
by KSgalvestonian
Summary: A stranger makes his way to earth and ends up falling in love with Kiyone. Although this is primarily a romance, it has comedy an action as well. Please read and review.
1. Default Chapter

All characters are property of AIC and Pioneer LCD except one. This story line is based on the Tenchi Muyo OVA and Tenchi Universe. It is not my intent to rip off other peoples' work so, if this story resembles another, it does so inadvertently.

Love's Lament

Part I

The air was cold and crisp. It was an early winter morning and it was certainly showing. Sasami walked down the dock that pointed out towards the middle of the lake beside the Masaki residence. She tried to take in the winter-like morning. The cold wind blowing off the lake made her eyes squint. It was very refreshing but cold. She stopped and looked over the side of the dock to see that the water near the shore had turned to ice. It turned into water again just about where she stopped on the dock. Ryo-Ohki ran up beside Sasami. Sasami shifted her attention to the cabbit and smiled. She sat with her legs hanging over the edge of the dock. She picked up Ryo-Ohki and put her in her lap. Sasami noticed how different Ryo-Ohki felt with her gloves on. She wondered if the cabbit was thinking the same thing about her glove-covered hands. Sasami looked to the ice once more. She pointed the tip of her shoe down so it just barely pressed against the ice. She applied pressure until she heard the ice start to crack. 

"Be careful." A voice warned from behind. Sasami turned to see Tenchi walking up to the dock. Sasami smiled. 

"Hi Tenchi." Sasami greeted. 

"You look happy this morning." Tenchi noticed. Sasami looked thoughtful for a moment then looked back to Tenchi. Sasami tried to think of an appropriate reply but nothing came to mind. 

"Aren't you cold?" Tenchi asked. 

"A little but it will make walking inside feel that much better." Sasami said. Tenchi thought about what Sasami said and agreed. 

"Where are you going?" Sasami asked. 

"I have to go bring in the last of the carrots from the fields before the ground gets too hard." Tenchi explained. 

"Don't you want some breakfast before you go out?" Sasami offered. 

"No thank you. It will make lunch taste that much better. The promise of a great lunch will make me work that much harder too. You won't let me down will you?" Tenchi teased. 

"I hope not." Sasami giggled. 

"Well, I better be on my way then." Tenchi said as he started off for the fields. Sasami waved as Tenchi disappeared from view. Sasami was sitting by herself again and enjoying the peace. It then occurred to Sasami that it was too quiet. Usually her sister and Ryoko would start fighting when Tenchi woke up. This morning was quiet. Sasami realized that was why Tenchi surprised her. She looked towards the house to see if there were any familiar shapes moving past the windows but she didn't see any. Sasami thought she had been sitting on the dock long enough and decided to go inside to start on breakfast. She placed Ryo-Ohki on the deck and started to stand. Sasami didn't see the thin layer of ice covering the place she put her hand and it slipped. She lost her balance and fell over the edge. Sasami's mind was racing and she let out a yell but stopped when she noticed she wasn't falling anymore. She was floating above the ice. 

"You should listen to Tenchi. You'll stay dry longer." Ryoko said as she carried Sasami to shore. Ryoko placed Sasami on the grass and stood next to her. 

"Oh Ryoko! Thank you." Sasami said gratefully. 

"Don't worry about it kiddo. I'm sure you would have done the same for me." Ryoko said. Sasami smiled. Ryoko continued to look at Sasami. The bright morning sun made Ryoko's eyes shine like they were on fire. Sasami didn't realize she was staring. 

"Is something the matter, Sasami?" Ryoko asked. 

"No. It's just your eyes look prettier when the sun shines." Sasami said. 

"Thank you. I should save everyone more often. Maybe I'll get more compliments like that." Ryoko joked. The two walked into the house. 

***

Tenchi looked over the carrot field. It looked like he had his work cut out for him. The ground was very hard already. It might take him a great deal longer to pull the vegetables out of the ground than he originally thought. Tenchi wished he had taken up Sasami on her breakfast offer. He sighed and prepared himself. He sat the large basket on the ground and grabbed the top of one of the carrots and pulled. The plant didn't budge. Tenchi dug around it for a while then tried again. After a great deal of effort, the carrot finally burst from the soil. Tenchi wasn't expecting such a fight and tripped over the basket after extracting the carrot from the ground. He fell backwards and landed on his back. He examined the fruit of his labor to find a tiny carrot hanging from the leafy mass he gripped in his hand. Tenchi knocked the dirt off and placed the carrot in the basket. He thought a more aggressive approach might bring him better luck. He stood over the next carrot, bent his knees and grasped the plant with both hands. He quickly launched himself back in hopes of ripping the carrot from the ground. Instead, the green top of the carrot gave way and a small orange nub was the only thing that could be seen in the ground. Tenchi threw the leafy top to the ground and sighed. 

"This is going to take all day." Tenchi thought out loud. 

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Washu said as she walked in front of Tenchi. Tenchi stumbled. Washu stood and looked at Tenchi with a curious expression. 

"Is something the matter, Tenchi?" Washu asked. 

"I wish you would make a little more noise. You scared me half to death." Tenchi explained. Washu kept looking at Tenchi. 

"What brings you way out here?" Tenchi asked. Washu smiled. "I knew there was hardly any chance of you bringing in the last crop before the first freeze hit. So, I've been working on an invention that will help you with your chores. After witnessing your first two attempts, I think it's safe to say that you will be happy that I finished when I did." Washu stated. 

"How are you going to help me?" Tenchi asked. Washu extended her hands and her keyboard appeared. She typed for a few moments then stopped. A hole appeared and a dozen or so small machines scurried out on spider-like legs. The bodies of the machines were twice as large as a toaster and their legs were as thin as pencils. 

"I give you the Washu Pneumatic Augers!" Washu spouted. 

"Pneumatic Augers? What are they?" Tenchi asked. Washu smiled brightly. 

"These little machines were specifically designed to extract items from beneath the ground by using powerful blasts of compressed air." Washu explained. Tenchi became nervous when Washu said, "blast." 

"This is how it works. The auger will center itself over its target. Next it takes a sample of the ground around the target. It analyzes the sample and calculates the amount of force that is required to remove the target from the ground. Next it charges its air cannon and fires a perfectly round jet of compressed air around the target. The jet of compressed air cuts the target from the ground. When the jet finally slows, the built up pressure beneath the target ejects the target out of the ground and it lands in a predetermined location." Washu finished. 

"That's amazing Little Washu! Your machines will plow the field and the carrots will land in the basket?" Tenchi asked. 

"They will certainly plow the field but why would you want the carrots in your basket? You would have to carry the basket all the way home. I placed a basket next to the kitchen and that is where the carrots will land." Washu said. Tenchi became extremely nervous when he thought of the power required to fire a carrot more than a mile away. Washu noticed Tenchi's concern and became annoyed. 

"You doubt me? Marvel at my genius!" Washu said as she pushed a button on her keyboard. One of the machines hurried over to a carrot. A tube quickly shot into the soil then quickly retracted into the body. A hole opened in the middle of the machine followed by a high pitched whine. The machine fired its compressed air cannon and a carrot sped skyward like an orange rocket and was soon out of sight. 

"How do you know if it's in the basket?" Tenchi asked. Washu punched a few more buttons until a video screen appeared. The basket in question was centered on the screen. A few moments later, the carrot landed on the left side of the basket. Tenchi couldn't believe what he just witnessed. 

"That's incredible!" Tenchi yelled. 

"That's right, incredible. I'm the greatest scientific mind in the universe. THERE IS NO TASK THAT I CAN NOT MASTER!" Washu boasted with pride. Tenchi could hardly disagree. Another carrot landed in the basket followed by another. Tenchi looked from the screen to see one of the augers standing over a carrot for a lengthy period of time. 

"What's going on with that one, Little Washu?" Tenchi asked. 

"Sometimes the augers work as a team in order to get the target to where it needs to be more accurately." Washu pointed out. Another auger stood next to the first. They both fired their cannons at the same time and launched the carrot skyward. Tenchi and Washu looked at the screen and saw the carrot land just outside the basket. Washu quickly looked at the two augers. 

"Adjust for the wind at altitude." Washu ordered. The two augers bleeped their understanding. Tenchi and Washu stood back as they watched the dozen or so augers go to work on the field. They progressively became faster until the firing of their air cannons sounded like someone hammering at a slow pace. Tenchi was happy that the machines were taking care of his work and Washu was basking in the glory of her brilliance. The augers finished the field. Washu and Tenchi were about to head back when Tenchi noticed one auger by itself. 

"Excuse me, Little Washu but what is that one doing?" Tenchi asked. Washu looked to the lone auger and wondered. 

"I don't know." Washu admitted. She started to type on her keyboard. 

"Apparently, that one needs a little assistance with the last carrot." Washu explained. 

"I don't see anymore carrots." Tenchi noted. 

"Neither do I." Washu agreed. The other dozen augers scurried over to the other auger. They all quickly circled a nearby cedar. Their air cannons whined as they charged. 

"They aren't doing what I think they are doing, are they Little Washu?" Tenchi asked. His heart sank when he turned to see Washu typing like mad. The sound of all of the cannons firing simultaneously echoed throughout the valley. Most of the branches snapped off the cedar as it was fired into the air. It resembled a flying telephone pole as it sailed in a high arc towards the house.

***

"What are you doing? I told you to heave to, buddy." Kiyone yelled through her subspace communicator. 

"I'm not your buddy, I'm not pulling over, and why don't you STICK IT while you're at it." The individual on the other side of the transmission replied. 

"What did he say?!" Kiyone yelled in disbelief. 

"I think he just told you to 'stick it." Mihoshi answered. The person on the other side laughed hysterically through the open channel. 

"You're going down!" Kiyone growled. She removed the safety from Yagami's forward battery of cannons and fired a dozen rounds in the offending ship's direction. 

"Woah! Woah! Stop that you GP weirdo. Don't you know this is a specially protected area and combative action is forbidden." The voice over the speaker said. 

"Don't tell me about the law! I am the law!" Kiyone bellowed.

"He does have a point, Kiyone." Mihoshi said. 

"You be quiet." Kiyone yelled at her partner. 

"You better pull over, mister. Kiyone is really mad." Kiyone advised. 

"I'll say. She sounds like she doesn't have enough fiber in her diet." The man replied. 

"Now that you mention it.." Mihoshi started. Kiyone closed the channel before Mihoshi could finish. Yagami accelerated towards the other ship. The ship banked hard and tried to evade Yagami. Yagami banked sharply and followed the other ship turn for turn. The other ship slammed on its breaks, reversed its thrusters and flew back towards Yagami. Kiyone didn't react fast enough and Yagami's starboard thruster struck the other ship causing the thruster to explode. The power to the port engine was starting to fade and Kiyone quickly rerouted power from the starboard reactor to compensate. Unfortunately, the starboard reactor spiked before it exploded and the power surge burned out the port engine. Kiyone tried to come up with a quick plan while she was trying to make sense of the damage reports at the same time. 

"What did you do to my beautiful ship? I just had this thing fixed." The voice announced over the reopened channel. Kiyone looked up to see the offending ship rise in front of Yagami's bow. 

"Don't try anything funny. We may not be able to run but we still have plenty of fight." Kiyone warned. 

"Don't be silly. If I wanted to attack you, I wouldn't have brought myself directly into your line of fire." The voice said. He was right. He was a sitting duck to Yagami's attack. 

"What do you want?" Kiyone reluctantly asked. 

"This is a token of my good will. I wasn't trying to harm you. I was just having a little fun. Anyway, I'm sorry I startled you. To prove to you that I'm not the kind of guy to hold a grudge, I'll offer you a ride to the nearest GP station. How does that strike you." The voice finished. 

"What do you get out of this? Do you want the ticket I had waiting for you to magically disappear?" Kiyone asked. 

"I can appreciate your feelings but this is my system. How can I speed in my own backyard?" The voice asked. 

"Ha! Nice try. The only inhabitable planet in this system is earth." Kiyone challenged. 

"Yep. That's the one." The voice confirmed. 

"That's impossible. Only space commerce capable systems are able to obtain a waiver to speed regulation in their own system as per Galaxy Police Mandate 22.703." Kiyone quoted. The voice sighed. 

"Listen. Your ship is crippled in a way that will only allow you to putter to the nearest GP station in about two weeks. I'm offering you a ride that will take only a few minutes. Take it or leave it." The voice said. 

"I guess we have no choice but to accept your offer." Kiyone admitted. The next thing she knew, she was on the bridge of the other ship along with Mihoshi. The pilot of the ship swiveled around in his chair and stood. His clothes were those of Jurai but everything else onboard the ship looked as they were collected from elsewhere. 

"I'm sorry for the damage I caused your ship. I have it in tow and all I need from you is a destination." The young man said. He was as tall as Mihoshi and his hair was brown but nearly blonde. His hands and face were the only parts of his body that were exposed from beneath his robes. Kiyone could feel goose bumps on her arms. 

"I'm uhh...I'm Detective First Class Kiyone and this is my partner Detective First Class Mihoshi." Kiyone stammered awkwardly. The man shook both ladies hands and smiled. 

"I'm Christian. Nice to meet you." The man said. A few moments of silence passed. 

"Is their anyplace in particular that you want me to take you, Detective? Christian asked. Mihoshi jumped in front of her partner. 

"Can you take us to the Masaki house? It's almost time for breakfast and Sasami is such a good cook. You can come too if you want?" Mihoshi said. Kiyone clamped her hand over her partner's mouth as tight as she could manage. 

"Man, I haven't had a good home cooked meal in a long while." Christian noted. 

"If you would be so kind, we would greatly appreciate it. There is someone on earth who can help us fix our ship. You can put our ship in orbit if that would be easier." Kiyone said with a fake smile. 

"Sounds like a plan to me." Christian put Yagami in a high stable orbit before turning towards earth. 

"Now where is this Masaki house?" Christian asked. Kiyone punched in the coordinates and everyone was on their way. The ship descended through the earth's atmosphere and was quickly making its way towards the Masaki Residence. Kiyone looked over to Christian as he piloted the ship. He looked over and noticed Kiyone's stare. 

"Is there something else I can do for you, Detective?" Christian said with a smile. Kiyone blushed. 

"I was wondering. You said you had a waiver to Galaxy Police Mandate 22.703?" Kiyone asked. 

"Yes I did and here it is." Christian said as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. He handed it to Kiyone. Kiyone examined the paper and found that it was indeed authentic. 

"How did you get this?" Kiyone asked. 

"I'll answer that as soon as you tell me what that is?" Christian said with a curious expression crept to his face. Kiyone looked at the monitor to see what Christian was talking about. 

"That kind of looks like a flying telephone pole." Mihoshi stated. 

***

Tenchi and Washu took off for the house as soon as they saw the tree blast into the sky. A space ship appeared above the Masaki residence. Tenchi and Washu looked at one another. 

"Who is that?" Tenchi yelled as he ran. 

"I don't know. I've never seen that ship before." Washu yelled back. The cedar reached its apogee and started to descend. On its way down, the tree struck the ship's starboard engine. The engine smoked then caught on fire. Tenchi and Washu saw three people appear in front of the house just as it came into view. The ship pointed skyward and blasted off. It flew until it was just out of visual range before it detonated. 

"I hope everyone is alright!" Tenchi yelled. As Tenchi and Washu approached the house, they saw Kiyone, Mihoshi, and a young man they had never seen before. 

"Is everyone alright?" Washu yelled. 

"All present and accounted for." The young man said. 

"That's a relief." Tenchi said as he tried to catch his breath. 

"What was that?" Kiyone asked. "That was the result of one of my latest inventions. I guess I need to tweak the software a little." Washu said as she scratched her head. 

"Well, I was coming here to visit. I guess I'm going to be here a little longer than I thought." Christian said. 

"Tenchi, Washu, this is Christian." He was giving us a ride here before we were knocked out of the sky by that tree." Kiyone said with a little agitation. 

"Don't worry about your ship. I'll put together another just like it. I can get it to you in a few days." Washu said. 

"Washu! He probably lost more than his ship. Who knows what else of value he may have had on board." Kiyone said. 

"Take your time. I'm in no hurry." Christian said. 

"Aren't you upset about your ship?" Kiyone asked. 

"Not really. You're friend said she would build me a new one." Christian said. 

"What about your personal belongings?" Tenchi asked. 

"Believe it or not, I don't carry anything of significant value for just such a situation." Christian said with a smile. "Is there anything we can do for you?" Tenchi asked. 

"Well, my breakfast was onboard my ship. Detective Mihoshi was kind enough to invite me to breakfast. If you can provide me with a good, home cooked meal and a new ship, we'll call it even." Christian said. 

"I think we can handle that." Tenchi said. The group walked into the house.

***

Everyone was sitting at the table when Ayeka walked into the dining area from the kitchen. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't know we had company." Ayeka said. As she saw the stranger sitting next to the table. Christian looked at Ayeka and recognized her royal clothes. 

"I didn't know I was in the presence of royalty." Christian said as he stood. 

"There is no need for that. We are very informal around here. I appreciate the gesture though." Ayeka said. 

"What is the crown princess of Jurai doing on earth?" Christian asked. 

"She was in a similar situation as you at one time but we became friends with the Masaki family. They let us live here." Washu explained. 

"Actually, they only let Sasami stay here. Ayeka is just extra baggage." Ryoko said as she materialized at the table. Christian about jumped out of his seat upon seeing Ryoko appear in her normal fashion. 

"The only reason this demon is here is out of pity. She has nowhere else to go and no money. She is the local charity case." Ayeka retaliated. 

"I'm not the one who cried out to daddy last week for money." Ryoko shouted. 

"We needed that money for food." Ayeka yelled in her defense. 

"So you didn't use any of that money for personal reasons?" Ryoko asked with a sly grin. 

"No! I didn't!" Ayeka yelled. 

"Hey Ayeka, do you like my new necklace? It bares a striking resemblance to the one you wanted in the jewelry shop window. I found this one just lying around. If you look hard enough, you may be able to find one as well. I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you though." Ryoko said as showed of the piece of jewelry around her neck. 

"How dare you go through my things!" Ayeka shouted. 

"This can't possibly be yours. I know you can't afford groceries and this." Ryoko taunted. 

"Give that back!" Ayeka ordered. 

"Finders keepers Ayekas...oops, I mean losers weepers." Ryoko laughed. Christian couldn't help but laugh at Ryoko's last quip. 

"Ayekas...that's a good one." Christian commented. Ayeka was now furious. She summoned the components of her power and Ryoko summoned hers. The air crackled with energy. 

"What is all the commotion?" Noboyuki said as he walked from the hallway. Ayeka managed to regain control of her temper and sat. Ryoko sat as well and bathed in the glory of her victory. Tenchi gave the two an unpleasant look. 

"We have company?" Noboyuki asked as he set his briefcase down. 

"Dad, this is Christian. He will be staying with us for a short while." Tenchi said. 

"Actually, my real name is John Wellington. Christian is kind of a nick name that I use." Christian stated. 

"Why is that?" Kiyone asked. "It's a very long story. If you want to here about it, I can certainly tell you. It's a pretty good story." Christian said with a big smile. 

"I want to here it." Mihoshi almost yelled. 

"I don't see why not." Tenchi agreed.

***

"I was born in the spring of 1698. I was left on a doorstep and grew up in an orphanage in London. I didn't take too kindly to the way I was being treated and I made it a point to get as far away from that place as soon as possible. When I was thirteen, I found work aboard a clipper. I instantly fell in love with the sea. I gained experience and before too long, I joined the navy. On one voyage, I was aboard one of the king's ships that was tasked to escort another ship carrying a large amount gold back to England. As we sailed through the Caribbean, we came under attack from two Spanish Galleons. The pirates caught wind of the gold on board and attacked. A fantastic battle raged well into the night. I was clearing the deck of wreckage when a cannonball crashed through the deck and slammed into the powder magazine. The ship was blown to splinters and I was thrown into the sea. By luck, I managed to find a piece of coral reef that ended up saving my life. I stood in the water and watched the remainder of the battle. It wasn't until morning that I saw that the king's ships had sank along with the Spanish. I don't know who won the battle but I was stranded on a piece of coral in the middle of nowhere. I knew I was going to die out there by starving, by thirst, or by drowning from the next storm that would come my way. I was on that little piece of reef for four days. I didn't think so at the time but that had to be the luckiest week of my life. A Jurai survey team came to earth but their ship was severely damaged by a meteor storm. They needed gold to fashion some makeshift circuitry that would allow them to get home. I didn't know what to think. This huge dragon-looking piece of wood hanging over the sea scared me half to death. The next thing I knew, I was standing in a wooden room. When I was approached by strangely dressed men, I hoped that they were Christians and have mercy on me. I remember yelling, 'I'm a Christian!' more times than I can count. The Jurains didn't have a very good grasp on the English language back them and they assumed my name was Christian. That's where I got the nickname Christian. Apparently, the survey team knew that if they left me there I was going to die. So, they sited me as the owner of the gold that they were going to use to repair their computers. In exchange for the gold, they took me to see the king in order to receive his thanks personally. The king gave me a ship and his guarantee of my safety as long as I remained inside of Jurai's borders. I was also introduced to the glorious technological marvels of the galaxy and was privy to the science that slows aging. I dare say I haven't aged at all since that day. So, I became a man with the means of exploring the galaxy and I had all the time in the world to do it. It was a dream come true. But no matter how far I would go, I would always come home every so often. I can't tell you all the wonderful and terrible things I have witnessed on this planet over the years. I am in awe of what the human race can accomplish. I actually tailed the moon-lander for a few miles just for kicks. Anyway, I was having a good ol' time racing through an asteroid field this morning when I saw the Detectives' GP Cruiser sitting. I decided to have a little fun and buzzed them on my way to earth. Detective Kiyone didn't think it was all that funny and the rest is history." Christian finished. 

"Wow! You were actually around in the time of the pirates of the carribean?" Tenchi asked. 

"Yeah. I hear a lot of pirate stories these days. Hollywood has got it all wrong. They need to get back to basics and watch some of the old swashbucklers to get a clue as to how it really was." Christian explained. 

"How many times have you been back to earth since that day." Noboyuki asked. 

"I usually spend a few years in space and stay here for a year." Christian pointed out. 

"Have you ever run into problems being an earthling and practically immortal?" Ayeka asked. 

"Have I. I remember the first time I tried to roller blade. I slipped and smacked my head a good one on the ground. I woke up in the hospital and the doctors were flipping out over my chart. Fortunately, I had my communicator with me and coordinated an emergency transport and an EMP blast to wipe their computers simultaneously. If I didn't have that with me, I would have been toast for sure." Christian said. 

"What do you do? I mean you don't have a job do you?" Mihoshi asked. 

"No I don't but I do have the only commercial trading rights in this system. That's what I use in space. I had a lot of that gold left over from the shipwreck. I invested that stuff wisely not to mention that gold isn't all that rare in the universe." Christian said. 

"What do you plan on doing on this trip?" Kiyone asked. 

"It's been an adventure so far. I'm all about new experiences. In all of my travels, I've never been shot down with a tree. If you don't mind, I would like to stay around here for a while before I press on." Christian requested. 

"That's fine by me." Noboyuki said. 

"Thank you. I think I'm going to have a good time." Christian chimed. Kiyone laughed to herself. Christian looked to be about her age but he was like a little boy seeing the wonders of the galaxy for the first time. Mihoshi looked at her partner and saw Kiyone smile as she looked at Christian. 

"Kiyone, why are you staring at Christian?" Mihoshi asked with genuine curiosity. Kiyone turned beat red. Everyone at the table heard Mihoshi's question and looked to Kiyone for a response. The room was dead silent. Kiyone's mind raced as she tried to think of a believable lie. Sasami walked out of the kitchen with a tray in her hands. Kiyone shot to her feet. 

"LOOK! HERE COMES SASAMI WITH BREAKFAST!" Kiyone yelled with relief. Sasami almost dropped the dishes.

***

Everyone finished breakfast. It was agreed by all that this morning's meal surpassed all others in recent memory. 

"Wow! Now that's what I call a meal! Adventures in eating. Who would have thought?" Christian commented. The group laughed. 

"Did you really like it that much?" Sasami asked. Christian wiped his mouth with his napkin and looked to the little princess. 

"Princess Sasami, I would get shot down all over again if meant I could experience your cooking one more time." Christian said. Sasami blushed. 

"You really like to eat, don't you?" Mihoshi asked. 

"Of coarse. Enjoying a good meal is one of the finer things in life that make living such a great thing...not that I've ever been dead." Christian noted. 

"I've never been dead either." Mihoshi answered. 

"I'll drink to that." Christian said as he lifted his glass of orange juice in a toast. Everyone else followed suit and laughed. 

"What do you have planned for today?" Ayeka asked. 

"I don't plan anything hardly ever. What do you do for fun around here?" Christian asked. 

"We shop!" Ryoko blurted. 

"Ryoko!" Kiyone protested. 

"That's an excellent idea!" Christian spouted. 

"Just one problem. We don't have enough money to do much shopping?" Washu pointed out. 

"That's not a problem for me. It'll be my treat. It's the least I can do for such gracious hosts." Christian offered as he pulled his wallet from a pocket. 

"We couldn't let you do that. You are our guest." Kiyone stated. 

"Don't be silly. I always hit the local merchants on my extended vacations and believe me when I say that I have more than enough to handle it." Christian said as he scratched his head. 

"I don't know. You haven't seen Ryoko shop." Mihoshi started but Ryoko quickly grabbed Mihoshi in a headlock. Mihoshi struggled but she was no match for Ryoko's strength. 

"Don't listen to her. If it will make your stay here more enjoyable, then we're game." Ryoko said as she cranked down on Mihoshi's neck. 

"Then it's settled. Where is the nearest gathering of fine merchants?" Christian asked. 

"THE MALL!" All the ladies sounded off in unison. 

***

Warm air blew past the group as they stepped through the sliding glass doors of the mall. The mall was unusually busy but nothing extraordinary. The group agreed that the cold weather pushed people indoors for recreation. Pretty much everyone already had an idea of what they wanted and spread out a little. Tenchi advised Christian that he might want to change clothes before he left the house. His Jurai clothes stuck out a bit. Since his clothes met with the same fate as his ship, Washu was able to replicate some replacements until Christian bought some more. Tenchi turned and addressed everyone. 

"Everyone meet back here in two hours." Tenchi instructed. 

"I can't wait to finally get the matching pair of earrings for the necklace." Ayeka mentioned to herself. 

"I can't wait either." Ryoko said with a grin. 

"If you think you are going to beat me to those ear rings, you had better think again." Ayeka warned. 

"I'll tell you what, little princess. Whoever gets there first gets the first pick of anything they want." Ryoko wagered. 

"I'll take that bet. No flying or teleporting." Ayeka ordered. 

"Deal." Ryoko agreed. The two of them lined up and stood at the ready. 

"On your mark, get set, go!" Ryoko yelled. Ayeka took off like a shot and was soon out of sight. Ryoko stood in place and watched Ayeka make off for the jewelry store. 

"You can have your stupid ear rings. I'm going to get something much better." Ryoko said beneath her breath. Ryoko turned to face Tenchi. 

"Where did Ayeka hurry off to?" Tenchi asked. 

"She had to use the bathroom. She's really had a problem controlling her bodily functions lately." Ryoko replied. 

"Oh." Tenchi answered a little embarrassed. 

"Tenchi, I need your advice on some clothes I've been meaning to get. Will you help me?" Ryoko asked as she tugged at Tenchi's arm. 

"Sure Ryoko but what about Sasami? I'm sure she doesn't want to hang out with us and we can't just leave her alone." Tenchi pointed out. 

"She's got Ryo-Ohki with her. If anything happens, Ryo-Oki can alarm me through our psychic link isn't that right you cute little cabbit." Ryoko said as she scratched Ryo-Ohki's chin. The cabbit meowed her agreement. Tenchi was becoming uneasy with Ryoko's sudden change of mood. 

"What do you say Sasami?" Tenchi asked. 

"That sounds great." Sasami chimed. 

"Well, ok.." Tenchi didn't finish. Ryoko was almost dragging Tenchi down the walkway. 

"I would like to stop at the novelty shop first." Ryoko said as they walked away. 

"What do you plan on doing?" Sasami asked Kiyone. 

"I don't know? Where do you want to go, Mihoshi?" Kiyone said as she turned to face her partner. Mihoshi wasn't there. Kiyone looked towards the escalator. She saw Mihoshi running up. She looked at the second floor and saw the toy store was at the top of the escalator. She looked for Washu as well but she was gone too. 

"I guess that leaves us three." Kiyone said as she turned to Noboyuki. 

"Actually, there are a few things I would like to get from the office store." Noboyuki said as he walked away. Kiyone looked to Christian. He smiled back at her. "It looks like it's just you and me." Christian said. Kiyone blushed.

***

Washu walked into the nearest electronics store. She looked at the various electrical components that hung from the little hangers in the different aisles. She took mental inventory of all that she saw and by the time she was done, she wasn't impressed. 

"Semiconductors, integrated circuits and digital switches oh my!" Washu commented. 

"Can I help you, little girl?" A voice asked from behind. Washu turned to face a middle-aged, over-weight man wearing coke-bottle frames. 

"Not likely." Washu answered. 

"I beg your pardon?" The man asked. Washu looked thoughtful for a minute. Perhaps there was something worth while in this store that they weren't keeping out front. 

"Do you have any dark matter reactors?" Washu asked. 

"Not to my knowledge." The man said puzzled. 

"How about a neutrino detector?" Washu asked again. 

"I would guess not." The man said still puzzled. Washu was becoming a little annoyed. 

"How about two sticks I can rub together to make fire?" Washu said sarcastically. The man became impatient with Washu. 

"Listen here little girl, this store deals in state of the art electronics. If you are looking for a Barbie Doll, the toy store is upstairs." The man finished. Washu didn't care about the 'Barbie Doll' comment but she was seriously offended by the assertion that this store sold state of the art anything. 

"HA! You barely have enough of anything here to make something lethal." Washu said. The man didn't understand Washu's insult so he decided to spill the preprogrammed company disclaimer. 

"Nothing here can be configured in a way to cause grievous bodily harm to anyone." The man stated. 

"Oh really?" Washu said with a grin. 

"Really." The man confirmed. 

"Do you care to make a little wager." Washu spouted. 

"What's your deal?" The man said dropping his professional disposition.

"You supply me with the parts and the tools I request and If I am able to come up with something that can cause grievous bodily damage, you will hand write me an apology for asserting that this store sells state of the art whatever. If I fail, I'll buy whatever components I use times two. Moreover, I'll have a one hour time limit." Washu concluded. The man smiled at the promise of an easy commission. 

"You're on!" The man yelled. Washu started to cackle like the mad scientist she was and started to reconfigure the mental inventory she had just taken until a plan came together. The man looked nervous. 

***

Ayeka was feeling great. She had every piece of jewelry that she wanted and there was no sign of Ryoko. She giggled to herself. 

"Only someone as elegant as I should be adorned with such finery." Ayeka thought. She pictured herself strolling up to Lord Tenchi. He would be overcome at the sight of her lavished in platinum, pearls and other precious stones. Suddenly, Ayeka felt something wasn't quite right. She looked around her and noticed she was alone. She had been alone for about an hour. It dawned on her that Ryoko was not being supervised and Tenchi was nowhere to be seen. Ayeka launched to her feet. She sprinted for the door but a clerk jumped in her way. 

"Excuse me ma'am, but you are going to have to pay for those pieces before you leave the store." The lady said. Ayeka quickly stripped the various pieces of jewelry from herself and threw it all in a bag. 

"Ring this up and make it quick." Ayeka yelled and hopped in place. The cashier gave Ayeka the receipt and Ayeka dashed out the door. 

***

Tenchi couldn't believe he was suckered so easily. He sat in the chair outside the dressing room and waited for Ryoko to finally be done. He examined his wrist. The handcuffs proved to be stronger than he thought they should be, especially coming from a novelty shop. He recounted the events leading up to his capture. After they left the novelty shop empty handed, or so he thought, he actually believed Ryoko was going to behave for a change. She told him to close his eyes as she led him to the store that she wanted to get some clothes from. Ryoko told him that that she didn't want him to see any of the clothes on the styles so she would surprise him. Despite Tenchi's instinct, he trusted her. He closed his eyes tight as Ryoko led him through the store. She sat him down in a chair and that is when Ryoko slapped the handcuffs on him and then to the chair that was bolted to the floor. Tenchi opened his eyes instantly. Ryoko knew that Tenchi carried the master key on him but she warned him if he used it to cut himself free, he would be caught on camera. Sure enough, a television camera was hanging nearby and was pointed at him. Tenchi didn't understand why Ryoko was restraining him until he got a good look around. He was confined to a chair that was sitting outside a dressing room of a Victoria's Secret outlet. Tenchi tried to bolt for the entrance but the handcuffs held fast and Tenchi was ripped from his feet and slammed to the floor. Ryoko advised him that trying to repeat what he just tried might not be good for his health. Now, Tenchi gazed at himself in the mirror that was on the outside of the dressing room door. He thought his face was going to be burned red for weeks. Looking at Ryoko in some of the pieces she liked almost caused Tenchi to pass out on occasion. The door cracked to Ryoko's dressing room and Tenchi braced himself once more. 

"Tennnchii." Ryoko sang. She obviously was enjoying herself a great deal. The door swung open and there stood Ryoko in a lacey concoction that barely covered Ryoko's robust features. 

"What do you think?" Ryoko said in a smooth, seductive voice. Tenchi wondered how a machine could make such a thing but then his mind raced uncontrollably. His eyes bulged and a trickle of blood ran from his right nostril. 

"Oh, it looks like we have another winner." Ryoko said in the same voice. Ryoko broke with her routine and walked out of the dressing room and stood in front of Tenchi. Tenchi's eyes bulged more. He snapped out of his trance. Tenchi jumped up and tried to make for the exit once more. Once more, the handcuffs prevented his flight and he slammed into the floor. Ryoko looked a little disappointed. She thought to herself for a moment then giggled. Tenchi stirred and looked up to see Ryoko's usual blue and yellow outfit materialize around here, much to his relief. Ryoko bent down and whispered into Tenchi's ear. 

"I know you will be lonely sooner or later. I also know you will have to do something about it. When that time comes, keep me in mind. Or if you prefer, I'll have one of these on. Whether it comes off is entirely up to you." Ryoko concluded. Tenchi thought he couldn't tolerate any more. A snap sounded as Ryoko unlocked the handcuffs. Tenchi looked to his wrist with disbelief. Ryoko helped Tenchi stand. She stood looking at him with a smile. Tenchi was confused. He thought he should be angry with her but he wasn't. Ryoko gave Tenchi a hug. 

"Thank you for your honest opinion." Ryoko said as she led Tenchi out of the store. Tenchi was scratching his head while Ryoko paid for the merchandise with the credit card Christian gave her. He still couldn't decide whether he should be angry or not. Ryoko looked at him again. 

"Tenchi, where are you going?" Ryoko asked. Tenchi turned as he scratched his head. 

"Yeah." Was his only reply. Tenchi turned to his original coarse and started walking. Ryoko laughed to herself then caught up with him. 

***

Kiyone was walking with Christian around the mall. They hadn't stopped in any stores but the two were enjoying themselves none the less. Kiyone asked him questions about his travels and things he's done and Christian asked about Kiyone's home, her family and why she became a detective with the Galaxy Police. 

"Where is your favorite place?" Kiyone asked as she walked around a trash can. 

"Oh. That's a good one. I've seen quite a bit and trying to compare one place to another is like comparing apples and oranges." Christian explained. Kiyone looked disappointed. Christian noticed. 

"Well there is one instance that stands alone." Christian offered. Kiyone brightened. 

"Really?" She asked. 

"Yeah. Alaska." Christian said. Kiyone looked surprised. 

"Alaska. As in the Alaska on earth?" Kiyone asked. 

"Is there any other?" Christian joked. 

"Out of all the things you've seen and places you've been, earth is where you have seen the most beautiful place?" Kiyone asked again. 

"That surprises you?" Christian asked back. Kiyone thought about what Christian said. Kiyone always thought of earth as a place where she was stationed. She realized that some of the places she had been were pretty. Kiyone looked back to Christian. 

"I've never been to Alaska." Kiyone admitted. Christian smiled. 

"Do you want a cookie?" Christian asked. 

"What?" Kiyone said. Christian motioned at the bakery that they were approaching. 

"I love the soft chocolate chip cookies. Do you want one?" Christian asked again. 

"Sure." Kiyone smiled back. 

"You were saying about Alaska." Kiyone said as the two waited in line. 

"Oh yeah. Well, I can't remember what year it was. I think it was in the 1800's. I had heard many stories about the Klondike and miners seeking their fortune but I also heard about the savage and unforgiving land. It has been my experience that the most savage and unforgiving lands tend to be the most beautiful. Well, I arrived there in late winter. I landed my ship about one hundred miles south of what now is Fairbanks. I came across this valley. It was cold. Minus thirty I believe but I was prepared for it. It was night and the sky was lit with so many stars that I though I was still on board my ship in space. It was so deathly silent, I could hear the swish of my clothes and the squeak of the snow as it shifted under my feet. There was no moon but the snow covered mountains stood out from the black night. I could here a wolf howl in the distance. As I looked to the sky, the Aurora sliced through the heavens as though someone had struck it with a match. Green, blue, violet and even red danced across the sky as though it was a river of light. I layed down in the snow and watched. The Aurora danced more and more vigorously with each passing hour. Before too long, the sun started to rise and the stars and the Aurora started to fade until they were gone. I was lying there in the snow for hours watching the lights and I was so sad that it was over. I felt that I had lost a friend or a piece of me that I thought I would never get back. And then I thought about what I had just witnessed. I became ecstatic that I actually got a chance to see such a marvelous sight. Happy to the point that I jumped up and started throwing snow in the air as though I was a child once more. I buried a one-kilogram ball of pure iridium so I could find the place again. That was a good year." Christian trailed off at the end. He looked like he was reliving the moment and seemed a million miles away. Kiyone just stared at him. He stood for a few moments with a blank expression then slowly smiled. He quickly spun towards Kiyone as though he was snapped out of a daydream. 

"That was quite a while ago." Christian said as he paid for the cookies. He handed one to Kiyone who was still mesmerized. She then smiled. 

"I imagine you have been there a lot since then." Kiyone said. 

"Not once." Christian said. Kiyone looked shocked. 

"Why not? It sounds like a very beautiful place." Kiyone asked. "The picture I carry with me in my mind is near perfect. What I experienced I can never experience the same way again. If I go back there, it will ruin what I already have. Do you understand?" Christian asked. Kiyone thought for a few moments. 

"I think so. I do have a question though." She answered. 

"Shoot." Christian replied. 

"If you don't want to ruin your experience, then why did you leave the iridium to find your way back?" Kiyone asked. 

"I thought of only one way to improve the experience. I left it there just in case." Christian said. 

"You said it was near perfect. What would have made it perfect?"Kiyone asked. 

"How is any experience perfected?" Christian asked. Kiyone shrugged. 

"If you share it with someone special." Christian explained. Kiyone blushed. 

"What about you?" Christian asked. 

"What about me what?" Kiyone asked again. 

"Where is the most beautiful place you have ever been?" Christian asked.

***

Washu heaved the machine over her head and planted the cushioned rest on her shoulder. She flipped the eyepiece over her eye. She reached back with her right hand and hit a little red button on the back. The machine whistled as some type of electric motor started to spin. Washu smiled with glee. 

"Finished in forty-eight minutes and twenty-one point four seconds." Washu spouted. 

"How do I know it works?" The salesman asked. Washu smiled wickedly as she hit a selector lever on the side. 

"I guess we are just going to have to test it." She said as the machine, which resembled a high tech bazooka, whistled at a high pitch. Washu's hair started to stand on end. She made a mental note to double shield the weapon if she ever built it again. The salesman looked even more nervous than he did before. 

"What exactly is that thing?" The salesman asked. 

"It's a device which emits a cascade of electrons at whatever the gunner desires to destroy, burn, or in some cases vaporize." Washu explained. 

"I don't get it." The salesman admitted. Washu looked a bit put off by the man's last comment but then she remembered what a brilliant scientist she was and smiled at the thought. 

"It's a lightning gun." Washu explained. 

***

"The most beautiful place that I've ever been is at the Isle Resort of the Two Shells on Planet Fimosa." Kiyone said. Christian brightened. 

"Is that the one with the water park right next to the ocean?" Christian asked. Kiyone looked amazed. 

"Yes it is!" She answered. 

"Ha! I've been there too." Christian admitted. 

"No kidding? When?" Kiyone asked urgently. 

"Jeez, let me think. It had to be about five years ago." Christian said as he tried to remember. 

"I was a life guard there before I got into the GP!" Kiyone stated happily. 

"No doubt I saw you at one time or another. I stayed there for a few weeks during that summer." Christian explained. He then looked kind of confused. 

"You think the water park on Fimosa is the most beautiful place you have ever been?" Christian asked. 

"HAHA! No. I didn't even really like working there all that much." Kiyone answered with laughter. 

"Oh." Replied Christian. 

"They gave diving classes a few weeks during the summer. I never dove before so I decided to give it a try. I became rather fond of it. However, you had to dive with a partner for safety." Kiyone started. 

"I can't say that I disagree. They have some nasty creatures in the oceans of Fimosa." Christian noted. 

"The place where we dove was cordoned off with nets. It was relatively safe." Kiyone said. Christian nodded. 

"One night, I decided to go out and dive by myself. The water was only about 5 meters deep. The bottom was covered with short grass that swayed with the gentle rolling of the ocean. The water was warm and I didn't need any type of protective suit. I remember swimming out to the outermost net then turning back to shore. The current was flowing towards shore so I didn't have to fin that hard to make my way back in. I drifted slowly over the grass as though I were flying in the night. Occasionally, I would brush some of the silt from the bottom with my hand so it appeared that I was flying through the clouds. Phosphorus sparked in the water like tiny flash bulbs. It was great. At one point, I stopped and rolled onto my back and looked towards the surface. I could see the reflection of my dive light off the surface. It looked as though I were covered by a shimmering silver sky. I started to rise to the surface but adjusted my buoyancy so I floated between the surface and the bottom. I continued to fly until it became clear that I lost track of time. The filter on my rebreather was incapable of recycling any more air and I was forced to surface. I was still a couple hundred meters from the shore and I was going to have to swim on the surface all the way back. As I swam on my back, I noticed two thunderstorms on the horizon. They flashed so frequently that it looked as though they were perpetually glowing as they rolled from one side of the horizon to the other. The three moons were out and two of them were full. The sea glittered like an ocean of shifting coins. I continued to watch as I swam towards shore. It didn't take too long to arrive and I really didn't think too much of the beautiful moments at the time but as it rained the following nights, I continued to dwell on it until I finally realized how happy I was to go out there on my own." Kiyone finished. 

"Wow! I've never dove before. I sure would like to give it a shot." Christian said. 

"It's not all that hard. I bet I could teach you." Kiyone said. 

"How can I refuse." Christian smiled. Kiyone smiled back but she no longer felt uncomfortable when he smiled. The two continued on their fifth lap around the mall. 

***

Sasami had finished her shopping. She had purchased a few things for herself but mostly bought things for the kitchen. She was on her way back to the place where everyone was suppose to meet when she passed the arcade. Sasami didn't usually go for arcades but she noticed there was an informal tournament taking place between the local pros. She saw the game they were playing was the same one-on-one fighting game she had at home and became rather good at. She asked the man at the front if he would watch her things. He nodded and Sasami approached the group of mostly older boys. 

"Can I play?" Sasami asked cheerfully. One of the boys that was in line turned. I'm up next but you can play after me, ok." The boy offered. 

"Alright." Sasami agreed. The boy looked at Sasami again. 

"Do you know how to play this game?" The boy asked. 

"Yes. I have it at home." Sasami said. 

"That's good. Most of these guys don't like to play against inexperienced people. Most of them have this game at home too. They come here to play because fighting other people is much harder than playing against the machine." The boy pointed out. 

"Really?" Sasami asked. The boy felt kind of rude talking to Sasami over his shoulder. He turned and faced her. 

"My name is Hisato." He said extending his hand. Sasami shook it. 

"I'm Sasami." She greeted. 

"Are you one of my little sister's friends? She has a lot of them and they usually hang around here quite a bit." Hisato asked. 

"Hey Hisato! Are you playing or are you going to talk to your girlfriend the rest of the day." One of the boys called out. 

"These guys never quit." Hisato explained. Sasami smiled. 

"Watch this. I'm going to stomp this guy." Hisato said as he put his money into the machine and selected his fighter. Soon the fight was on. True to his word, Hisato swiftly defeated the boy he was up against. The boy fell away from the machine as though the injuries inflicted on his fighter actually happened to him. Everyone laughed. 

"You're not going to win that easily with me." One of the boys said as he approached the game where the other fell back. 

"Hold on there, Roco. Sasami's got next up." Hisato said. The group of boys turned to Sasami. She felt a little uncomfortable. 

"Don't worry about these guys, Sasami. They are afraid of being beat by a girl." Hisato said. 

"And you are not?" Sasami asked teasingly. 

"EWWW!" The group of boys sounded off at Sasami's comment. 

"Watch out, Hisato. She's going to wipe the floor with you." One of the boys called out. 

"Here I was being nice to you. I guess I'm going to have to humble you now, Sasami." Hisato said. 

"If you think you can." Sasami retaliated. 

"Arrogant little thing aren't you. I like that. I guess we'll see who the better fighter is shortly." Hisato said with a competitive grin. Sasami put in her money and the two were locked in digital combat. Sasami won the first round but the fighting was sloppy. Hisato was harangued by his friends between matches. The second round was won by Hisato. He took Sasami more seriously and didn't hold back. Sasami had seen all she needed to see by third match and she defeated Hisato in almost record time. It was Hisato who was humbled but he was a good sport and asked for a rematch after some of the other challengers had their chance. The largest boy, Roco, approached the game. 

"I'm going to send you crying home to your mama!" Roco said. Sasami didn't like his comment but she guessed that was to be expected of her being new. Roco was beaten soundly and Sasami continued to beat Roco's fighter even after the match was over. Roco was furious and he pushed Sasami. 

"We don't like little girls around here. Go play with some dolls or something." Roco snapped angrily. 

"We're having a good time, Roco. You're the only one who is being a jerk." Hisato said as he shoved Roco. Roco grabbed Hisato and threw him to the floor. Roco turned his attention back to Sasami. 

"What's it going to be, runt? Stay and face me or go?" Roco said as he towered over Sasami. The next thing he knew, Roco was being jacked up by the front of his T-shirt by a tall woman with light blue hair. 

"You bully my friend, I bully you." Ryoko said as she hefted the boy slightly higher than eye level. 

"Let go of me you witch!" Roco yelled. Sasami thought Ryoko would kill him for that but Ryoko remained surprisingly calm. 

"Witch? I'm not her sister. I'm just a good friend." Ryoko said. Someone exploded into laughter. Sasami looked out onto the walkway to see Christian laughing quite loudly. Everyone was there except for Washu. Ayeka didn't like Ryoko's ad lib. Tenchi and Ayeka knew Ryoko was there just to scare the boy so they didn't intervene. They witnessed the whole incident between Roco and Sasami. Ryoko held Roco away from her. 

"Step aside kids." Ryoko instructed and the kids backed away. Tenchi wondered what she was up to. Tenchi was just about to stop her when Ryoko seemed to be distracted for moment. She then smiled. 

"Washu, if you would be so kind." Ryoko said. Washu pushed her way past Tenchi and the rest of the group. She dropped to one knee, raised the weapon, and took aim at Roco with a sadistic smile that froze Roco's blood. Before Tenchi could react, Washu discharged the lightning gun. A thunderous crack ripped through the mall and the video game Sasami had just been playing was laid to waste. Mihoshi was scared unconscious and collapsed to the floor. 

"Damn! Missed." Washu cursed. People started to run in all directions. Washu turned to ask the salesman if that was good enough but he was nowhere to be seen. Somehow, Washu knew she wasn't going to get her written apology. 

"Hold'em out again, Ryoko. I had it on semi-grievous. I'm going to full on grievous." Washu said. She hit a switch on the hand guard that was actually labeled "semi-grievous" until the selector clicked to "grievous." The pitch of the whistle the machine created increased a few octaves. Washu laid in for Roco once again. The boy lost bladder control immediately. Ryoko became disgusted and dropped the boy. He sped for the door as soon as his shoes got traction and he was followed by a foul smell. Ryoko looked to Sasami who was sitting on the floor. 

"You are probably the only kid I like, Sasami." Ryoko stated. 

"RYOKO! WASHU!" Tenchi yelled as he stood. 

"Oh what? You were game until Washu pulled out the heavy artillery." Ryoko complained. Tenchi's head snapped to Washu. 

"This isn't heavy. This is something I whipped up in a few minutes. Had I pulled out the heavy artillery, chubby would have needed a hell of a lot more than a change of underwear." Washu pointed out. Tenchi sunk his head. 

"Don't worry Tenchi. Their plan to scare the boy worked like a charm." Christian said. Washu was about to point out her goal was to do more than scare the boy but Ryoko motioned for her to be silent. 

***

The van pulled into the drive of the Masaki residence. The van full of people eagerly stepped out with the things they purchased. Tenchi stepped out of the van to see Lord Katsuhito standing in front of the house in his training clothes and a boken in his hand. Tenchi looked at his watch and discovered he was nearly half an hour late for practice. Tenchi quickly approached his grand father. 

"I'm sorry I'm late Grand Pa but we have company who needed to some things from town." Tenchi explained. Lord Katsuhito looked up to see the young man exit the vehicle. Christian walked up to Lord Katsuhito. 

"It's alright, Tenchi. Go get your clothes on. I'll wait here." Lord Katsuhito said. Tenchi quickly turned and ran towards the house. Lord Katsuhito coughed deliberately and Tenchi ground to a halt. He quickly turned and ran back to where his grand father was standing. 

"I'm sorry. Christian, this is my grand father, Lord Katsuhito. Grand Pa, this is Christian." Tenchi hastily introduced. Tenchi looked back to his grand father. Lord Katsuhito nodded and Tenchi sprinted for the house once more. 

"Pleased to meet you." Christian greeted with a bow. 

"The pleasure is mine." Lord Katsuhito replied and bowed. 

"Are you training Tenchi to become a swordsman?" Christian asked with great interest. 

"Yes, I am. I've trained Tenchi for many years and he is a good student but he has a lot to learn." Lord Katsuhito stated. 

"Do you think he mind if I engaged him in a practice match?" Christian asked. 

"Do you know sword play." Lord Katsuhito asked. 

"Well, I know very little of eastern styles but I'm well versed in western styles. I would very much like to see how one reacts to the other." Christian said with a smile. 

"So would I." Lord Katsuhito replied. 

"Excellent." Christian exclaimed. Tenchi ran from the house in his training clothes and with his boken in hand. 

"Tenchi! Your first task today will be a practice bout with this young man." Lord Katsuhito explained. Tenchi looked to Christian with surprise, as did everyone else as they took a break from carrying in their gifts. Christian removed a small white ball from his pocket. He squeezed it in his right hand. Suddenly, the ball turned into an elegant sheathed sword. Christian looked up to see Kiyone staring at him. 

"Carrying it like this is more comfortable than carrying it on my belt." Christian explained. Christian fixed the sheathed blade to his belt. "I didn't know you knew how to sword fight." Kiyone said. Christian looked up with a little curiosity. 

"I was a sailor on the Spanish Main. Knowing how to use a blade was one of the best life insurance policies there was." Christian explained. 

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Kiyone asked bluntly. Christian paused for a moment. He looked to Kiyone with a serious expression. He stood silently for a minute then continued to adjust his weapon. 

"The only people I have fought were people who were trying to kill me or they were trying to kill people I was bound to protect. Yes, some of them died but that was something that I didn't enjoy." Christian said. 

"But you enjoy fighting. Otherwise you wouldn't be getting ready to fight Tenchi." Kiyone complained. 

"I'm not fighting Tenchi, I'm sparring with him." Christian corrected. 

"Same difference." Kiyone continued. Christian stopped adjusting his weapon and walked up to Kiyone and looked her in the eyes. 

"You are a Detective First Class with the Galaxy Police are you not?" Christian questioned. 

"Yes." Kiyone answered with a little hesitation. 

"You are armed with a standard issue plasma pistol are you not?" Christian asked again. 

"Yes I am." Kiyone answered. 

"Does that make you a cold blooded murderer?" Christian challenged. 

"No." Kiyone said finally understanding Christian's point. 

"Neither does this." Christian said as he unsheathed his rapier. He turned to face Tenchi. Kiyone was a little hurt but she imagined Christian was hurt more by her assumptions. She was going to say something but she turned and walked into the house. Everyone else went inside as well except for Tenchi, Lord Katsuhito and Christian. 

"A boken isn't going to be able to stand up to that." Tenchi noted. Lord Katsuhito walked into the house then came out again with a simple looking samurai sword. 

"Where did you get that?" Tenchi asked. 

"Does it matter?" Lord Katsuhito replied. Tenchi grasped the sword and removed it from its sheath. He raised the blade to the ready, as did Christian. The beauty of Christian's blade distracted Tenchi. The setting winter sun made the blade look as though it had just been removed from a flame and burned bright orange. 

"What is that?" Tenchi asked as he lowered his weapon. Christian lowered his weapon as well and looked at the rapier he had in his hand and smiled. 

"This is my master's treasure. It was forged in the founders of Toledo, Spain and is one of the finest produced. It pales in comparison to the mastery of the eastern steel smiths of the time but it is a keen blade. There are few others that match it's elegance and strength." Christian finished. Tenchi smiled and raised his blade once more. Christian smiled and raised the weapon in his right hand as he placed the back of his left wrist in the small of his back. 

"East meets west. How appropriate!" Christian mused. 

***

Tenchi and Christian stepped into the house laughing. They were dirty and both looked a little tired but content. Ayeka was admiring her new jewelry in the living room. She wasn't comfortable leaving it in her room where Ryoko might want to draw out her previous joke. Ayeka looked to the two young men as they entered. She was a little concerned to see Tenchi in the shape that he was in but not overly concerned. She stood and approached the two. 

"Lord Tenchi, are you all right." Ayeka asked. Tenchi stopped as Christian continued for the bathroom. 

"Yeah, Ayeka. I'm fine." Tenchi said. 

"You and Christian have been at it for more than a half an hour. I was beginning to think that maybe you two were starting to get serious." Ayeka voiced. Tenchi was about to reply when Ryoko materialized with her arm around Tenchi. 

"That was a good match!" Ryoko exclaimed. Ayeka reached over and pinched Ryoko's hand to get her to let go of Tenchi. Ryoko quickly withdrew her hand and massaged it. Ayeka then turned her eyes back to Tenchi. 

"I trust you won, Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka asked. 

"It was pretty much a draw." Tenchi stated. Ryoko replaced her arms around Tenchi's neck. She made sure to put Tenchi between Ayeka and herself. 

"Tenchi is being modest. He won five matches out of nine." Ryoko recapped. 

"Well if you want to look at it that way but Christian became familiar with my style and won the last three matches in a row." Tenchi said. 

"I don't care about that." Ryoko said as she noticed Tenchi's sweat drenched shirt. 

"Wow! You got quite a work out. The thought of your sweat covered body does something for me." Ryoko flirted openly. Tenchi became uneasy and Ayeka became angry. 

"You would be into something so dirty." Ayeka said as she pried Ryoko from Tenchi. 

"What is that suppose to mean?" Ryoko questioned, as she became angry. 

"It means that you are a filthy, uncultured pig!" Ayeka yelled. Tenchi used the fight as cover for his escape. The two girls fell silent as they heard Christian laugh as he entered the bathroom. They looked at one another. 

"You know, he really is getting some entertainment from our bouts." Ayeka said. 

"You noticed that too?" Ryoko asked. 

***

Everyone was cleaned up just in time for dinner. The group took their places and enjoyed Sasami's cooking as they always did. Kiyone didn't seem all that hungry and only managed to eat half of her dinner. Christian finished his meal but didn't dig in with the same zeal as he did at breakfast. The rest of the house talked about their adventures at the mall. 

"So I finished in forty-eight minutes and twenty-one point four seconds. I even made it dual voltage. I could have tweaked it to make it a little more efficient but my goal was to make a device capable of grievous bodily harm. It worked rather well don't you think?" Washu finished. The room was silent as they stared at Washu in shock. 

"What? Do I have something on my face." Washu asked innocently. Tenchi gave Washu a nasty look. He finally looked to Mihoshi. 

"We didn't see you until it was time to leave, Mihoshi. Where were you?" Tenchi asked. 

"I was in the toy store trying to decide which cute dolly I wanted." Mihoshi explained. 

"And then what did you do?" Tenchi asked again. 

"What do you mean? When I picked the one I wanted, I saw everyone at the arcade." Mihoshi said a little confused. 

"It took you two hours to decide which one you wanted?" Ryoko asked incredulously. 

"Was it that long?" Mihoshi asked. Everyone looked at the floor in exasperation. Everyone's empty plates signaled the end of dinner. Christian stretched. He then covered his mouth as he yawned. 

"Sasami, you continue to out do yourself with every meal." Christian complemented as he stood. Sasami smiled at his flattery. 

"Where are you going?" Ryoko asked flatly. Ayeka was about to say something about Ryoko's rudeness but Christian motioned that it didn't bother him. 

"I usually take a walk after dinner. I have a lot to reflect on. I can't remember having a day as great as today. Thank you all for your hospitality. If you will excuse me." Christian said as he walked towards the front door. As soon as he stepped outside, everyone looked to Kiyone. She was surprised. 

"Well?" Ayeka prodded. 

"Well what?" Kiyone asked back with a blush. 

"You had better go talk to him or you might not get another chance." Ryoko said. 

"What are you talking about?" Kiyone said defensively. Washu started to laugh aloud. 

"Come off it girl. We all know you like him." Washu said. Kiyone looked around the table to see everyone smiling. Even Lord Katsuhito couldn't help himself. 

"Who likes who?" Mihoshi asked. Washu looked to Mihoshi with contempt. 

"Well, almost everybody." Washu corrected. 

***

Christian stepped out into the cold night air. There was a little light left in the sky but all the bright stars were out and twilight was almost over. Grey clouds were moving fast out of the east and with them came the promise of snow. Christian wasn't interested in the night sky as he usually was. He walked towards the lake then stopped and stared at the ground. He appeared to be in deep thought. He wrapped his fist on his head with one stroke. 

"Knucklehead." He scolded himself. He paced a few times then stopped and looked to the stars. The wind blew off the lake and numbed his hands. He quickly placed his hands in his jacket pockets. A comical expression came to his face as he felt a familiar object in his jacket pocket. He pulled the distraction from his pocket. He opened his hand to see his music box. A smile lit up Christian's face. He hummed a few bars of a melody to himself. He turned the little crank on the music box and it played the melody he hummed from where he left off. 

"That's a pleasant tune. What is it?" Kiyone asked as she walked up behind Christian. Christian looked distracted for a moment then he smiled again. 

"It's a song that reminds me of Christmas." Christian said. 

"Winter is just getting here and Christmas is still a little bit off." Kiyone noted. "I hum this melody just as much in the summer as I do in the winter." Christian said. He looked at Kiyone. She had her arms folded noticeably tight. 

"Where are my manners?" Christian thought out loud. He removed his jacket and put it over Kiyone's shoulders. He brushed her shoulders and back with his arm as he pulled it around her. Kiyone knew it wasn't intentional but she blushed anyway. 

"The song is called 'Green Sleeves." Christian said as he wound the crank and let the melody play again. The tune sounded very lonely playing in the quiet, cold night. Kiyone's mind raced as she tried to think of what to say next. She decided it would be best to just come out with it. 

"I'm sorry." Both said at the same time. The two looked at each other with a little surprise then both smiled. Christian was about to start again but Kiyone beat him to the punch. 

"I'm sorry that I got angry earlier." Kiyone said. Christian was speechless. 

"I forgot that those times were a lot more savage and a less violent solution wasn't always possible. I guess I was afraid that I was going to find out that you weren't the person I thought you were. I know now that you are a better person than I could ever wish for. " Kiyone admitted. She realized she might have said more than she planned on but she also felt relieved that she finally got her feelings out in the open. Christian was dumbstruck. He hoped that Kiyone would like him a little but he had no idea that she was going to pour her heart out the way he planned to. He got over himself and thought to himself for a moment. He looked back to Kiyone. 

"You have no need to apologize. You were right. I can't tell you how many times I haven't been able to get to sleep because of my actions back then. I guess I am a different person now. I sometimes ask myself if there was someway that I could have avoided doing what I did. The worst of it is I sometimes think of ways that might have changed the outcome but in the end it doesn't matter. What is done is done and there is nothing I can do to change it. Just hearing it come from someone that I'm really fond of was more than I could bare and I lost my temper. For that I'm sorry." Christian said as he lowered his head. Christian knew that he had exposed the tip of the iceberg but he felt it wasn't enough. 

"It's ok." Kiyone assured him. She stepped up to Christian and she put her hand on his shoulder. Christian didn't notice that he was gripping the music box too tight for it to play until Kiyone touched him. His grip relaxed and the tune started again. He looked down at he box in his palm as it continued to play. 

"This was given to me as a Christmas present when I was seven years old at the orphanage in London. It is the only thing that brought me joy during those unpleasant years. I have never gone anywhere without it since it was given to me on Christmas Eve, 1705. Now I want you to have it." Christian said. He took Kiyone's hand from his shoulder and opened it. He placed the tiny music box in her hand as it played on. Kiyone looked into Christian's eyes. 

"I can't take this from you." Kiyone said. Christian smiled brightly for a few moments and then it was replaced with a very serious expression. He looked like he was struggling to find the will to say what he wanted. Christian took a deep breath then released it. 

"Don't you see?" Christian started a little hesitantly. 

"This may sound odd. I mean I've only just met you today but I don't need the music box to make me happy anymore." Christian said. Kiyone looked confused. 

"All I need is the thought of you." Christian managed. Kiyone felt like her heart was about to burst. She started to choke up and looked at the ground. She looked back to Christian and a solitary tear rolled down her cheek. Christian reached up and brushed it away with his finger. The two stepped towards one another. Kiyone brought both of her arms over Christian's shoulders. At the same time, Christian brought one hand to the small of Kiyone's back while his other cradled the back of her head. Snow started to fall softly as Christian and Kiyone held each other tight and kissed. 

***

Washu was quick to retrieve one of her older inventions from her lab after Kiyone walked out of the house. The device amplified voices from a great distance. Washu built it for the soul purpose of eves dropping on conversations. After much nagging, Ayeka, Ryoko, Mihoshi and even Sasami finally talked Washu into plugging the machine into a speaker so everyone in the living room could hear. However, what they heard was far more than any of them expected. Aside from Mihoshi who was balling uncontrollably, everyone in the living room was shocked stupid. Washu, Ayeka, Ryoko and Sasami sat like statues with dreamy expressions on their faces. Tenchi walked into the living room and was curious why the girls were sitting so quietly. 

"What's going on?" Tenchi asked innocently. Ayeka and Ryoko's heads turned to face Tenchi. They stood and looked at Tenchi with unblinking eyes. 

"Uh oh" Tenchi blurted. He felt like a mouse in a cage with two tigers. Ryoko and Ayeka stood slowly. The two didn't notice each other, which made Tenchi even more scared. He tore up the stairs for the relative safety of his bedroom. Somehow, Tenchi forgot about Ryoko's ability to phase through walls and he was forced to jump from his bedroom window to evade capture. Ayeka was waiting for him outside and only a well-timed duck enabled him to escape. The chase lasted for over an hour. 

***

Kiyone woke up feeling like everything was right with the world. She smiled as the memory of the previous night washed over her like warm bath water. She looked around and found that Mihoshi didn't use her bed. She got up and made her way towards the kitchen. Kiyone stepped out of the bedroom in her pajamas and smelled breakfast cooking. She heard Christian's voice coming from the living room along with Sasami's. She walked down the dark hallway and stopped short of the living room. She brought her hand to her face to block out the light that flooded the living room. All the blinds were open. It snowed the night prior but the skies were now clear. The sunlight reflected off the carpet of snow and the east side of the house was illuminated with brilliant white light. Kiyone's eyes became adjusted and she concentrated on Christian's voice. Apparently, he was in the middle of a pirate story. 

"I ran as fast as I could until I finally reached the mansion on the side of the hill. I looked down to the bay. I could see the flashes from the cannons on board the pirate ships as they tried to silence the guns of the fortress that defended the city." Christian said. 

"Weren't you afraid?" Sasami asked. "Of coarse I was afraid. I had never been in any kind of battle before. But there I was, running up the side of this huge hill to try and get this girl." Christian continued. Kiyone drew back a little at Christian's last comment. She felt a twinge of jealousy. 

"So I came to the door and found it locked. I kicked and pounded on this door for a few minutes. I stepped back and saw one of the lights go out in one of the windows. I knew there was still someone there and the door was locked from the inside." Christian continued. 

"How did you get in?" Sasami asked on the edge of her seat. 

"Well, the governor was kind enough to lend me his pistol. I shot the lock and the door swung open. I ran up to Bella's room. That one was locked as well. Fortunately for me, the door to her room wasn't as sturdy as the front door. It gave in with one kick. I jumped into the room, brandishing my blade as I prepared for the worst, when I was knocked silly by a piece of pottery. I turned to see Bella standing in the corner preparing to heave another vase at me." Christian paused to catch his breath. 

"She didn't recognize you?" Sasami asked. "No, she didn't. I was all covered in powder from the fort and dirt from the road. She thought I was a pirate. She said to me, 'I'll crack your head with everything in this room if you step any closer." Christian chuckled recalling the moment. Sasami laughed as well. 

"I said and pardon my vulgarity, 'Damn it, Bella! It's me, John Wellington.' She put the vase down and ran over to me. No sooner than she stopped, she slapped me as hard as she could. She said, 'Master Wellington! Don't you know to knock before you enter." Christian said as he did his best to impersonate Bella. Sasami laughed again. 

"I tried to tell her that her father had sent me to get her but she was to busy lecturing me and trying to get me to carry her things. Finally, I threw her bags to the ground and I threw her over my shoulder. She was kicking, screaming and on occasion, biting me on the way to the courthouse. I tried to tell her that the governor himself asked me to get her but she wouldn't listen. I swear she was the most evil woman I have ever come across. Anyway, I walked into the courthouse with Bella over my shoulder. The governor walked up to me and wiped some blood from my forehead. He said to me, 'Let me guess, Master Wellington. You are now more closely acquainted with some of the finer pieces of crockery in my house. Believe me, you are not the only one." Christian said trying to impersonate a low voice. Kiyone laughed and felt silly for her premature envy. Christian and Sasami turned to see Kiyone standing in the hall. 

"Well, what happened after that?" Kiyone asked. Christian thought he should rap up the story now that Sasami wasn't his only audience. 

"Unfortunately, the city fell that evening. However, we returned five days later and we recaptured it." Christian explained. 

"Tell me that story!" Sasami yelled. 

"I'll have to tell you later. I'm all storied out. Besides, isn't breakfast almost ready?" Christian asked. Sasami had completely lost track of time. She ran into the kitchen. Christian turned to look at Kiyone. She was still standing in the hallway. 

"Sleep well?" Christian asked with a grin. 

"Very well." Kiyone answered. Kiyone walked behind the couch where Christian was sitting. He was about to turn but she put her hands on his shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his chest and hugged him from behind. She was about to kiss his cheek but Christian turned quickly and kissed her on the mouth before she could react. Kiyone was shocked for a moment then gave in. They kissed for what seemed an eternity until a familiar voice was heard. Kiyone instantly straightened and both her and Christian's heads whipped skywards. 

"Mmmmmm. Good stuff!" Ryoko said as she looked down from one of the trusses over the living room. 

***

Everyone was starting to come together at the table for breakfast. The front door opened and Lord Katsuhito stepped in. Mihoshi quickly darted around Lord Katsuhito to get to the table. Kiyone looked at her partner. 

"Where have you been?" Kiyone asked. 

"I woke up early this morning and gave grand pa a hand with the sweeping." Mihoshi said as she clutched her stomach. 

"What's wrong, Mihoshi?" Noboyuki asked. 

"Sweeping all those stairs was harder than I thought it was going to be. I worked up an appetite. I'll probably even have dessert." Mihoshi offered. 

"I don't think too many people have dessert after breakfast, Mihoshi." Sasami said as she walked out of the kitchen with a tray of food in her hands. 

"That's right. Some have it before breakfast." Ryoko said as she looked at Christian and Kiyone. Even Christian blushed. Ryoko laughed out loud. 

"I don't get it." Tenchi said as he scratched his head. 

"Don't try to understand Ryoko, Lord Tenchi. You will become glassy-eyed and start to drool." Ayeka said. 

"I would say that was the voice of experience but Ayeka looks like that most of the time. You may want to put a napkin to the corner of your mouth, princess." Ryoko said with a grin. Ayeka was completely torn. She didn't want to fall for Ryoko's trick but the thought of her sitting through breakfast with something on her face was driving her up the wall. She tried to hold out but it was no use. She quickly reached for a napkin and wiped her face. She then examined the napkin to find nothing on it. 

"I knew it. There's nothing there!" Ayeka said as she started to look towards Ryoko. As her head raised, a cup of water splashed in her face. 

"Now there is!" Ryoko yelled as she cast her empty glass to the floor and prepared to fight. Ayeka was furious. Washu stepped from her lab door and found Ryoko and Ayeka about to go at it. Ayeka lunged at Ryoko and Ryoko stood ready. The two suddenly found each other frozen in place. They each struggled to move but couldn't. 

"It's too nice of a morning for fighting." Washu said as she walked to the table and picked up Ayeka's glass of. Water. 

"I thought you said you were going to be in your lab all morning?" Sasami asked. 

"I finished up early enough to make it in time for breakfast." Washu explained as she walked over to Ayeka. 

"You did start this mess, Ayeka. Technically, you deserved what you got. However, Ryoko's retaliation was a bit extreme...as usual." Washu said. 

"In order to enjoy a peaceful meal, I'll act as an impartial arbitrator." Washu said as she strode up to Ryoko. Washu put her hand on Ryoko's shoulder and leaned her back until Ryoko faced the ceiling. Washu held the cup over Ryoko and emptied its watery contents into Ryoko's face. 

"Ayeka be still. Thou art revenged." Washu said as she recalled some Shakespeare. 

"That's Julius Caesar!" Christian spouted upon recognizing the line. 

"It is." Washu confirmed. Just then, Ryoko and Ayeka regained control of their bodies once more. Ryoko was livid. She stood in front of Washu with anger in her face. Ryoko's wet hair was quickly dried by the heat that radiated from her body. Washu stood with indifference as Ryoko ground her teeth. Ryoko stood erect and walked to her place at the table. She then plopped down without saying a word.

"That's a good girl." Washu said through her psychic link. 

"This is far from over." Ryoko answered as she sat. Washu took her place at the table. 

"Come on. Let's eat!" Washu exclaimed. With that, the room became cheery again as Sasami handed out the trays of food. 

"I thought you were building Christian a ship." Tenchi said. 

"I was." Washu said as she slurped her Miso. 

"Then why did you stop?" Tenchi asked. 

"Because it's finished." Washu replied as she set her bowl on the table. Everyone looked to Washu. 

"You built a spaceship in two days?" Christian asked. 

"One day, actually. I started on it when we got back from the mall." Washu said. 

"Fantastic!" Christian spouted. 

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, FANTASTIC?!" Kiyone yelled as she jumped to her feet. The whole room was alarmed by Kiyone's outburst, except Ryoko who was still angry from earlier. Kiyone became immediately embarrassed and took her seat. 

"Umm well." Christian tried to start but was still in shock. 

"You two are at each other like you are married or something." Mihoshi noticed. Ryoko took a rest bit from her tantrum to laugh at Mihoshi's comment. 

"Well, I want to stay here longer than I originally planned but I need to get some things before I do." Christian said as he recovered a little. Kiyone now felt even more embarrassed for jumping to conclusions. 

"We'll be happy to have you." Tenchi said. Christian became unsettled. 

"No! I didn't mean to invite myself! I was going to get a hotel room." Christian explained. 

"Don't worry about it." Noboyuki said with his mouth full. The rest of the conversations during breakfast were light-hearted although Christian and Kiyone were unusually silent. 

End Part I


	2. Love's Lament Part II

All characters are property of AIC and Pioneer LCD except one. This story line is based on the Tenchi Muyo OVA and Tenchi Universe. It is not my intent to rip off other peoples' work so, if this story resembles another, it does so inadvertently.

Love's Lament

Part II

Christian had talked to Kiyone in private before he headed out. He seemed to be in a lot better mood afterwards and everyone wished him a speedy journey. He soon departed for what he called a 'short stint' to collect some things from various spots in the territory. Everyone waved as Christian sped towards space. 

"You two sure seem to be spending a lot of time together lately." Ryoko said with a grin. Kiyone became reserved once more. Ryoko's goal was to get a rise out of Kiyone from the first time she started teasing her but Kiyone didn't seem willing to admit that she liked Christian to anyone. Ryoko's grin slowly turned to a more concerned expression. 

"Hey. There is nothing wrong in liking him. I'm just teasing you." Ryoko admitted. Kiyone turned to Ryoko with some surprise at Ryoko's more tender words. However, Kiyone remained quiet. 

"I know you like him. We all do. Why are you being so shy?" Ryoko asked. 

"I'm afraid." Kiyone said. Ryoko looked to the ground then looked back to Kiyone. She was trying to help but she had no idea that she would find such a shy side of Kiyone. 

"Afraid of what?" Ryoko asked as she steered Kiyone somewhere a little more private. 

"Whenever I get close to someone, they go away. I think if I admit that I like him, something will change and he'll go away." Kiyone explained. "You told him how you feel. There really isn't any reason to try and keep it private." Ryoko said. Kiyone looked at Ryoko and didn't blink. 

"You have told him how you feel?" Ryoko asked. Kiyone didn't change. 

"Why not?" Ryoko asked. Kiyone looked a little upset. 

"Why haven't you told Tenchi how you feel?" Kiyone fired back. Ryoko took a step back and now she looked hurt. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." Kiyone apologized. Ryoko smiled. 

"You do have a point though. You may have answered my question better than you know. I'm waiting for the right moment with Tenchi. The right moment is very elusive in this place with Ayeka around and all the other distractions. Granted, I'm a little afraid of what he may say. However, there is no doubt how Christian feels about you. You had better make your move before Ayeka starts to make her play for him like she did with Tenchi." Ryoko concluded. Kiyone smiled and giggled. 

"I'm not kidding. I knew Tenchi since he was a rug rat. Ayeka comes in and decides that he is the one meant for her in a few weeks." Ryoko joked half heatedly. 

"Thanks Ryoko. I'm glad we talked." Kiyone finished as she walked towards the house. Ryoko smiled briefly then a grave expression came to her face. Something wasn't right. She closed her eyes with consternation when she realized what it was. 

"What do you want?" Ryoko said loudly. Washu stepped from behind her.

"Well, well. My little Ryoko is giving good friendly advice." Washu teased. Ryoko remained silent. 

"I especially liked the part where Kiyone told you to take some of your own advice." Washu said as she strolled towards the house. A quick grin quickly came to Ryoko's face but she hid it under a very solemn expression. 

"Wash...Mom, I have something to say." Ryoko managed through a choked up voice. Washu quickly whipped around and faced Ryoko. Her eyes were large and her mouth drew tight. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. She took a few steps towards Ryoko. Ryoko looked away and clutched her arm to her side. She looked to be having trouble gathering the courage to say whatever was on her mind. 

"What is it, Ryoko?" Washu asked with genuine concern. Ryoko looked into Washu's eyes with a pleading expression. 

"It's hard for me to say this but.." Ryoko started. If Washu was sitting, she would be on the edge of her seat. 

"Even in your current state, I can tell by the look in your eyes that you are as old as the hills and I can understand why you choose to appear as a ten year old." Ryoko said. For the first time in a long time, Washu was confused. Ryoko still had a serious expression. 

"What?" Washu asked still confused. 

"Picking a body older than a ten year old would have worked more to your disadvantage because, truthfully, it was all downhill after that." Ryoko explained. Washu's concerned expression swiftly changed to a quiet hate. Ryoko couldn't hold back any longer. She erupted into uncontrollable laughter. 

"HAHAHA! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW HARD IT WAS FOR ME TO KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE!" Ryoko almost screamed. Washu remained as she was before. Ryoko brought herself under control and still snickered as she looked to Washu. 

"Now we're even. How does it feel, Grand Ma?" Ryoko gloated. Washu brought her hand to her side and produced an orange blade. Ryoko raised an eyebrow with curiosity. 

"Oh really?" Ryoko asked rhetorically. Washu assumed an aggressive posture. A wicked smile came to Ryoko's face. In a flash, she donned her black and red battle suit as well as her own orange blade. Not saying another word, Ryoko charged. Washu remained planted. The next thing she knew, Ryoko felt as though she had been hit with a fire hose. She stood with her arms extended out at her sides as she examined her drenched body. Apparently, the Washu she attacked was a fake that contained water under great pressure. Ryoko knew this as she looked to a slain Washu Doll at her feet. The real Washu walked out from nowhere. 

"Youth and agility are no match for age and treachery." Washu said as she made for the house. Ryoko lifted her head to look at Washu. Although she was had, she still felt as though her victory over Washu was greater and she smiled. 

"I don't know about the treachery but you're right about age." Ryoko said. Ryoko suddenly remembered something she overheard. 

"So you can't remember anything over twenty thousand years ago? No doubt you have reached your mental capacity. The memory is one of the last things to go. We both know the body went a long time ago." Ryoko said. Washu stopped in her tracks. She turned to Ryoko and wore a wily smile. 

"Persistent to the end. You are definitely my daughter but know this, I created you so I can break you." Washu warned. 

"Ewww! I'm scared of the geezerly." Ryoko spouted with mock concern. She then turned, bent over and peered between her legs. 

"Hey Granny! Why don't you come and break this?" Ryoko taunted as she slapped her butt. 

"Too late, this one already has a crack." Ryoko continued. Washu appeared to be angry but in fact, _she_ was now struggling to keep a straight face. Ryoko was Washu's daughter but no one would know it by the way the two normally interacted. However, Washu wasn't going to miss this opportunity. She didn't play with her daughter that much and she decided to make the most of it. The two had at it well into the afternoon. 

***

Days had passed since Christian made his way to points unknown. Kiyone appeared uneasy shortly afterwards. Now she was driving everyone up the wall with her worrying. She practically dragged Washu into her own lab to finish work on Yagami. 

"Can you please hurry?" Kiyone snapped. 

"Calm down, Kiyone. You've been acting strange ever since Christian left. There are many reasons he could be held up. Running off to find him is jumping the gun a little." Washu explained. 

"What makes you think I'm going to look for him?" Kiyone asked. 

"Oh come off it! You are at wits end worrying about him and you want your ship fixed so you can go look for him." Washu said as she typed at her keyboard. Kiyone was about to come up with an excuse but she was tired. 

"Oh all right! So I like him a lot. So I want to go look for him. So I want to be with him! Is that so wrong?" Kiyone yelled. Washu stopped typing and swiveled around on her cushion. 

"No. There is nothing wrong with that. Everything is right with that." Washu said with a grin. 

"If you feel so compelled to find him then why don't you use Ryo-Ohki?" Washu suggested. Kiyone's eyes widened and she smacked herself hard on the head. 

"I completely forgot about Ryo-Ohki!" Kiyone shouted. 

"Don't worry about Ryo-Ohki." Washu said as she turned back to her keyboard. 

"Why?" Kiyone asked. 

"Because the repairs to Yagami are complete. 

"We'll come with you." A voice sounded from Washu's lab door. Kiyone turned to see Tenchi, Ryoko, Ayeka, Mihoshi, Azaka, Kamedake, Sasami and Ryo-Ohki standing inside the door. 

"I don't want to bother you." Kiyone said. "If it means that much to you, then we will be happy to help." Ayeka offered. 

"Let's get started then." Washu said and the group made their way out of the lab. 

***

Yagami was speeding through the solar system. Washu had brought along a device that allowed the group to track the Christian's ship through space. 

"Anything yet?" Kiyone asked. "Yes. We are definitely on his trail but still no sign of him." Washu said. 

"What makes you think that we are going to catch up to him. He has more than a week's worth of a head start." Tenchi asked. 

"Unfortunately, the haste in which I built Christians ship didn't allow for me to make it is fast as I would have wanted. Even if he hasn't stopped, Yagami will catch him in a few days." Washu pointed out. Yagami had passed the outer planets and was entering a vast field of ice. 

"Where are we?" Mihoshi asked as she looked at the chunks of ice that zipped past Yagami. 

"We just entered the Ort Cloud. It is a spherical field of ice that envelops the solar system." Washu explained. Yagami was starting to emerge from the ice field when a light on the Yagami's control panel started to flash. 

"What is that?" Ayeka asked. 

"That's a distress signal. There is a ship nearby that needs assistance." Kiyone said as she hit a few buttons on the panel. 

"That's strange. The signal is very weak but according to these readings, the ship is very near." Kiyone said. 

"I guess this take precedence over my search." Kiyone stated as she brought Yagami about and headed back into the ice field. It wasn't long until Yagami came upon a Jurai freighter. Kiyone was relieved that it wasn't Christian's ship. She opened a subspace channel but the other ship's communications were down. The other ship came into view as Yagami passed a large chunk of ice. The group let out a collective gasp when they saw that the ship was severely damaged. It looked as though it were blasted almost in two. Yagami pulled along side the other ship and docked. Kiyone and Mihoshi were the first to enter the ship. Two women happily greeted the visitors. 

"Oh thank goodness it's the galaxy police!" One of the women spouted. 

"What happened?" Kiyone asked. "We were attacked by space pirates." The other woman offered. 

"What?" Kiyone asked with disbelief. 

"We knew that this was a specially protected area and rushed here with hopes of running into the police who guard this system. The pirates got to us before we made it in. The pirates were already starting to shoot us up when a strange ship appeared and started to attack the pirates. The other ship was much smaller than the pirate's ship. The captain of that ship was extremely courageous." The woman finally finished. 

"I hope it wasn't..." Kiyone started but was unable to finish as her heart sank. Washu typed on her keyboard and a video screen popped up in front of the two women. 

"Is this the ship that you saw?" Washu asked. 

"Why yes! I've never seen anything like it before but I won't be forgetting it anytime soon." The one woman said. The group looked at Washu. 

"It was Christian." Washu confirmed. Kiyone rushed back aboard Yagami. 

"Let's go. This just got a hell of a lot more serious." Ryoko said. 

"What about our ship and cargo?" The first woman asked. 

"It wasn't your fault. I'll make sure you two are not held responsible." Ayeka said. The two women finally recognized the Princess of Jurai and started to bow but Ryoko grabbed the two by the waste and flew aboard Yagami. Everyone else followed suit. 

***

Yagami was now running at ten- percent overdrive. If Kiyone didn't run across any promising news soon, she would be forced to shut down Yagami's reactors for a few hours to allow them to cool and recharge. It didn't take long for Washu's device to detect Christian's ship. Yagami slowed as Christian's ship came into view. Christian's ship floated upside down and the remains of another ship drifted nearby. His ship was more severely damaged than the other. Kiyone's mouth opened wide at the desperation of her situation. The docking rings on Christian's ship were ruined. Washu produced a device that teleported everyone aboard Christians ship. Washu couldn't believe this was the same ship she built only a week prior. The lights onboard didn't function. Washu brought forth her keyboard and typed in a few commands. The lights blinked to life, revealing the full extent of damage to the ship. The bridge looked like a war zone. The controls were smashed and frayed and cut wires hung from the ceiling. The floor was seared and melted in several places. Everyone scattered to different parts of the ship to see what they could find. A scream pierced the silence and everyone jumped. Mihoshi was cowering in the middle of the bridge. Her arm was fully extended and pointed the way to the corner of the ship where she was just looking. Everyone saw what appeared to be a hand lying on the deck sticking out from underneath a pile of rubble. Ryoko quickly made her way to the hand. She grabbed the large section of ceiling and heaved it out of the way. Sasami quickly turned and covered her face. The body was mangled and almost unrecognizable. Ryoko stooped down and looked at the remains. 

"Luchin Marauders." Ryoko stated as she turned to Kiyone. 

"Very nasty beings." Washu offered. 

"At least this one got what he deserved. Why would the marauders attack if they had people already aboard?" Ayeka asked. 

"I'll show you why." Ryoko said as she walked across the bridge to another pile of rubble. She dug through the pile until she pulled out another body. 

"What does this mean?" Kiyone asked. 

"It means the Luchin had disabled the ship and boarded. They scanned the bridge and teleported aboard in places that would give them an interlocking field of fire." Washu explained as she moved to anther pile of debris and found another body. 

"Luchin Marauders travel in groups no larger than eight and they work in teams of two. There are three dead here and I'm willing to bet that there is at least one more on the ship somewhere." Washu said. 

"I don't understand. What are Luchin Marauders? And how does their number and where they stand tell you about what happened?" Tenchi asked. 

"Luchin Marauders are pirates from a very far away galaxy. As you can see, they look similar to humanoid dogs. As beastly as they look, they are very intelligent. One teleported here and his partner teleported there." Kiyone explained. 

"However, they didn't expect to encounter someone who could wield a blade like Christian could." Ryoko explained as she put her foot on one of the bodies. She pressed her foot down and a very fine line became a deep vicious cut. 

"Christian got him first and the zig-zagged his way here until he was within striking distance." Ryoko said. She imitated the way Christian should have moved across the floor. 

"You can see the marks on the floor from the marauder's missed shots." Washu noticed. 

"After the first two were defeated, the marauders sent down another pair. This one materialized right next to Christian. He was able to duck the marauder's attack and cut the back of his legs but his partner was closing in and he didn't have time to finish him." Ryoko explained as she examined the slice on the back of one of the marauder's legs. 

"Then where did Christian go?" Mihoshi asked as she recovered from her fright. Washu looked to the door that led off the bridge. It had several plasma burns in it. 

"This way." Washu said. Everyone hurried to the door. Washu stood in front of the door but it didn't open. She was about to put her hand on the door then it slid open. To the group's horror, the fourth marauder was found but his head was lying several feet away from him. Washu looked down then to the wall on the other side of the doors. The panel that served the doors was open. Ryoko walked in and saw the same thing. 

"Clever boy." Ryoko said. 

"What happened here?" Tenchi asked. "Christian knew he wouldn't be able to close the distance on the fourth marauder the same as he did with the second so he ran for this doorway. Once he got to the other side, he changed the settings so the door would open only when someone got within a few inches. He knew the marauder would put his hand to the door the same way I did. This would give Christian an advantage. As soon as the doors opened, he leaped forward and decapitated the last marauder." Washu explained. Kiyone looked frightened. 

"How could he be so vicious?" Kiyone though out loud. Ryoko turned sharply towards Kiyone. 

"He did what he had to do stay alive. He knew these marauders wouldn't try to take this ship unless everyone on board was dead. That's how they are. He was merciful enough to leave number three alive." Ryoko explained. 

"But that one is dead." Ayeka noted. 

"Yes he is but that is the Luchin's doing." Washu pointed out. 

"How do you figure?" Ryoko asked. 

"After they lost half of their crew, they decided to take no more chances and pummeled the ship with cannon fire until they were confident of Christian's death. That or they just became upset about being whipped by a single earthling. In the attack, the surviving Luchin was killed. However, that's not the reason for the severe damage to this ship." Washu concluded as she walked down the hall. The group came upon another set of doors. 

"We aren't going to find any other gross things are we?" Mihoshi asked as she stood behind Kiyone. 

"No. These doors won't open because there is nothing behind them but black space. This was the passage that led to the reactor room. Christian had no substantial firepower so he came here and put a remote overload command into the reactor controls. He waited until he knew the Luchin were close or on board before he blew the reactor. The resulting explosion finished the rest of the Luchin and their ship." Washu said with a smile. 

"He's a sharp cookie alright." Ryoko commented. Kiyone looked stricken. 

"Then where is he?" Kiyone asked. Washu smiled brightly and pointed to a small door to her left and a red light on the door. 

"This was the escape pod. It's not here. He escaped and as soon as he was clear of the ship, he hit the button. That's what I would have done at least." Washu spouted. Kiyone brightened. 

"What are we doing here? Let's go find him." Kiyone announced. 

***

Washu patched her tracking device into the controls of Yagami. The ship would follow the signature of Christian's escape pod. Yagami slowly banked and swerved back and forth. 

"Was his pod damaged?" Kiyone asked as she tried to sip her tea. 

"All the readings from his exhaust trail indicate that his pod is operating normally." Washu stated. 

"Then why is he swerving like this?" Ayeka asked. Ryoko laughed out loud. "Ha!Ha! You mean like this?" Ryoko jumped to her feet and put her arms out like she was an airplane. She flew around the room swerving like a happy child. 

"I think you are right." Kiyone said with a smile. 

"A single person beating eight Luchin marauders is an accomplishment worthy of celebration. Even if it did cost him his ship." Washu said. 

"I'll drink to that." Ryoko said. She lifted her glass of tea in a toast the same way Christian did a week ago. 

"Here! Here!" The group sounded together. Just as they were about to drink, Yagami banked sharply to starboard and came to a stop. The group spilt their tea all over themselves. Kiyone rushed to the bridge to see Christian's escape pod floating in space in front of Yagami. Kiyone hit a few buttons on the control panel and scanned the pod. No one was on board. 

"Wh...Where is he?" Kiyone said as tears filled her eyes. Washu was already typing furiously. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth drew tight. She then closed her eyes. 

"Another ship intercepted him. Its exhaust signature is similar to that of the Luchin Marauder's." 

***

Yagami raced through space once more. Washu's tracking device was now locked onto the ship that intercepted Christian. The ship was quiet. Kiyone wanted to be left alone and she sat by herself in the pilot's seat. Everyone else was in the cargo hold. Washu was able to come up with a few things that made the hold a little more hospitable. Ryoko sat by herself in a chair near the wall. An orange ball of energy materialized in her hand and disappeared. Then it materialized again and it disappeared again. She did this for a few minutes until she squeezed the ball into her orange sword. She stared at the bright blade. She was thinking to herself and she started to become uneasy. She squeezed her blade tighter until small arcs of her power traveled up and down her blade. Ryoko's mood wasn't unnoticed. Everyone looked at her but she was still engrossed in deep though. Her face became sour and before she knew it, her black and red battle suit materialized on her body. Ryoko was surprised and lost track of what she was thinking about. She looked at her hand and the sword was gone. She then looked to the rest of the group who was staring at her. She scratched her head and smiled nervously. 

"Ummm..sorry about that." She said apologetically. Ayeka shook her head and continued to speak with Sasami. Tenchi looked concerned and was about to walk over to talk to Ryoko until he noticed Washu was already on her way. 

"What's eating you?" Washu asked. Ryoko tried to blow off Washu but the little scientist continued to follow Ryoko around. 

"Will you leave me alone? If I want your help, I'll ask for it." Ryoko complained. 

"No you won't. You don't ask anyone for help but there are times when you need it. That's why I'm here talking to you now." Washu said. 

"Forget it Washu. Leave me be." Ryoko said and tried to walk away. Washu caught her by the wrist and prevented her departure. 

"You know I'm not going to leave you be until I find out what your problem is." Washu said as she sat. Ryoko conceded Washu's point and sat next to her. 

"I didn't know you cared so much for Christian that his absence is causing you such distraction." Washu said. 

"It's not that." Ryoko said. 

"Then what?" Washu prompted. 

"Everyone can see that Kiyone likes Christian very much if she doesn't love him." Ryoko started. Washu nodded. 

"Now that she has finally found someone she wants to be with, he is gone." Ryoko explained. 

"You care so much for Kiyone that this is upsetting you?" Washu asked. 

"I wish that was the case but no. It just reminds me of Tenchi." Ryoko said. Washu looked up at Tenchi across the hold. He was sitting with his back against the wall and his head was bowed. He looked like he was asleep but he scratched his ear. Ryoko smiled then became disheartened once more. 

"I put myself in Kiyone's place and asked myself, 'What would you do, Ryoko?" Ryoko said. 

"What would you do?" Washu asked. 

"I would do what Kiyone is doing now. I would search until the end of time to find him." Ryoko said. Washu smiled. 

"I don't see the problem." Washu said. 

"I didn't say there was a problem. You won't leave me alone until I come clean." Ryoko snapped at Washu. Washu didn't change at first then her expression changed to concern. 

"But there is a problem." Washu stated. Ryoko calmed down and looked sad. 

"Yes." Ryoko admitted. 

"Well?" Washu prodded. 

"We are searching for Christian and with any luck we will find him. But these are Luchin Marauders. They are savage, monstrous creatures. I'm afraid that we may not find Christian alive. I feel so desperately sad for Kiyone that I can hardly bare it." Ryoko said. 

"You have been thinking about what you might do if you were in Kiyone's place and Tenchi was in Christian's?" Washu asked. Ryoko looked like she really had lost Tenchi. Her eyes watered and she bit her bottom lip. Washu stood and wrapped her arms around Ryoko. 

"You have been thinking about what you would do if you found Tenchi dead?" Washu asked as Ryoko sobbed. Ryoko didn't reply. 

"What would you do?" Washu asked. Ryoko replied through her psychic link. Washu closed her eyes. 

"I wouldn't like that too much. It took me a long time to create you and I've become fond of you." Washu said. Washu opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder. Everyone was now looking at the two of them. Her eyes narrowed and everyone went about what they were doing. 

"You shouldn't be like this. True, it is very bad that such a thing could befall anyone. It's not wrong to feel sad for Kiyone. We all do. We would all feel terrible if the worst would come to pass but it hasn't. We're going to find him and then everything will be back the way it was before." Washu said. Ryoko gently pushed Washu away from her. She brought her sleeve up to her face and dried her tears. Washu smiled again. 

"As for Tenchi, look across the hold. Tenchi is sleeping now and, unless I'm mistaken, he has a big smile on his face. He's a happy boy and he's right over there." Washu spouted. Ryoko smiled and stood. Ryoko changed back into her blue and yellow outfit and flew across the hold until she was standing next to Tenchi. She sat down next to him in and fell asleep leaning against him. 

***

Ayeka walked onto the bridge to see Kiyone punching buttons on the console. Kiyone looked like she needed some sleep but she refused to give up her chair until she found Christian. 

"Are you ok, Kiyone?" Ayeka asked. Kiyone looked over her shoulder and saw Ayeka walking towards her with a cup in her hand. 

"I'm pretty tired but I'll get over it." Kiyone said as she rubbed her eyes. 

"Sasami made this for you. She said this will help you stay awake." Ayeka said as she handed the cup to Kiyone. 

"Thank you and please thank Sasami for me if I don't see her before you do." Kiyone said. Ayeka nodded and sat in Mihoshi's chair. 

"We sure have flown a long way." Ayeka observed. 

"Yes we have. I've already submitted a report to Galaxy Police headquarters and every police ship in the galaxy is on the look out for the same type of ship that we saw back there. Washu thinks that the one we are after now is a sister ship of that wrecked one. If that is the case then tracking it won't be all that hard." Kiyone explained. 

"Do you know where they are going yet?" Ayeka asked. 

"No. Luchin change their coarse every so often so tracking them that way is difficult." Kiyone said. The ship was jolted hard to port and Ayeka fell to the deck. If Kiyone hadn't been buckled in, she would have been thrown out of the chair. Yagami was knocked hard to port once more. Kiyone hit a few more switches. She leaned towards the PA microphone. 

"We're under attack! Everyone do what you need to do to keep from getting hurt." Kiyone yelled. Yagami's inner shields held off the first two attacks and Kiyone just activated the main shields. She hit a button and a ship appeared on the view screen in front of her. Washu ran to the bridge in time to see Kiyone's monitor. 

"It's the Luchin." Washu said. 

"It sure appears that way." Kiyone said. 

"Can you get any back-up?" Washu asked. 

"No. They are jamming all channels." Kiyone announced. 

"I guess we are on our own." Washu said. 

"No you are not." Ryoko said as she walked onto the bridge. 

"How about it Ryo-Ohki? Are you ready to fight the good fight?" Ryoko asked the cabbit at her feet. 

"Miaaa." Ryo-Ohki agreed. Ryoko picked up Ryo-Ohki and teleported outside Yagami. Moments later, Ryo-Ohki transformed into her spaceship form. Ryo-Ohki flew straight at the Luchin battleship. The Luchin ship banked hard to avoid Ryo-Ohki. Yagami came about and Kiyone powered up the weapon systems. Ryo-Ohki let loose a salvo after passing the Luchin but their shields defeated her attack. The Luchin were expecting to take on Yagami, which was pushing their luck to begin with. Now they had to contest with Ryo-Ohki as well. The Luchin were outnumbered and outclassed and tried to make a break for it. Yagami fired a full spread from the forward plasma cannons and the attack overloaded the Luchin's shield generators. As soon as the shield collapsed, Ryo-Ohki took out the engines and the Luchin ship sat motionless in space. Ryo-Ohki fired another set of well-placed shots and disabled the ship's reactors. Now the Luchin couldn't fight back. Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki rematerialized on Yagami's bridge. 

"That was easy enough." Ryoko spouted. Just then, the Luchin ship exploded. Everyone was shocked. 

"Now let's not have anyone freak out!" Washu yelled over the explosion. 

"That wasn't the ship we were chasing." Washu said. Kiyone felt relieved. 

"More over, I now have a pretty good idea where Christian may be." Washu said. 

"Hold on a minute. What the hell just happened, Washu?" Ryoko asked trying to get a grasp on the situation. 

"The Luchin are as proud as they are intelligent. They won't be taken prisoner. So, they blew themselves up." Washu explained. 

"That's a relief." Ryoko said as she wiped some sweat from her brow. Everyone looked at her curiously. She noticed. 

"What I mean is I'm glad I didn't do anything to cause the ship that might have carried Christian to blow up." Ryoko explained. Kiyone looked stern. 

"Next time, don't take out their reactors. If they still have the means to fight, they won't kill themselves." Kiyone advised. 

"Well excuse me for breathing." Ryoko said sarcastically. 

"You were saying you might know where he is, Washu." Kiyone said. 

"Yes. Before the ship exploded, I detected a trace amount of a rare microbe found on a moon near here. This moon is uninhabited and would make an excellent pirate hide out." Washu finished. Washu walked over to the console and punched the coordinates into the computer. Yagami turned and started off for the moon Washu mentioned. 

***

Yagami touched down on the fifth moon of the Planet Setriad. The planet was cover with dense vegetation but Washu was able to locate a small structure on the surface. The building was similar in design to that of the Luchin. Kiyone set down a few kilometers away from the building so they wouldn't be detected. Ryoko went ahead and scouted out the structure and the only guards she could find were patrolling the fence line of the building. Sasami, the two women from the freighter, Azaka and Kamedake stayed behind. Tenchi led the way into the jungle and sliced a path with the master key. Although the land was rugged, the group made considerably good time. It only took about an hour for them to reach the fence line. 

"It doesn't look all that big for a pirate hideout." Tenchi observed. 

"More than likely, that is just the guardhouse to the entrance. I'll bet the hideout itself is underground." Kiyone offered. 

"What are we waiting for. Let's go shake their monkey tree." Ryoko spouted. 

"Hold on there, crazy girl. We don't know how many are in there and they know that place inside and out. We are going to be at a big disadvantage." Washu advised. 

"We really don't have a choice. We hunt them or draw them out. Either way, we are going to have to go in there to get Christian out." Tenchi said. 

"It's your call Kiyone." Ryoko said. Kiyone looked thoughtful for a moment before she spoke. 

"We're going in." Kiyone decided. 

***

Ryoko was able to knock out the guards quickly and silently. She entered the complex first as a scout. Ayeka, who would shield the group with the power of Jurai, followed her. Kiyone and Mihoshi flanked Ayeka and they would secure the sides. Tenchi and Washu would guard the rear. The group made their way down a narrow corridor until they came to a heavy door. Ryoko phased through the wall and opened it from the other side. When the door opened, the group saw Ryoko took out another two guards. They continued down a large spiral staircase until they came to a large chamber. They crept along the edge of the round chamber. Their footsteps echoed loudly off the smooth floor and walls. The room was very dark and no one could see the other side of the room. If they could, it is doubtful that they would have entered the room. A brilliant white light illuminated the chamber, as the door they came through slammed shut. Everyone's eyesight recovered and they could see dozens of Luchin Marauders standing on the far side of the room. They had walked into a trap. The marauders fanned out and the group stood in the middle of the room. A sinister laugh rang out and echoed in the chamber. The group looked up to see a large, black Luchin step forward onto a balcony that overlooked the chamber. He was clad in chrome armor and wore a red cape. He also wore chrome gauntlets on his forearms and shins. His steps were heavy and they seemed to shake the ground they stood on. The other Luchin in the room were smaller but not much smaller. 

"This must be the leader." Ayeka whispered. 

"You are correct, Princess." The large Luchin growled. 

"You had better let me go. If you do not, the king will be furious and he will not rest until I'm set free." Ayeka warned. The leader laughed loudly again and his followers did the same. 

"I have no doubt that the king values the welfare of his daughter a great deal. That will make your ransom that much more." The leader spoke. 

"We seek the earthling you captured days ago named Christian." Washu said. 

"Ah! That earthling rat. He is a valiant warrior but crossing the Luchin was a mistake that he will regret. I think he regrets it even now but he shall regret it far more the longer he remains alive. He slew eight of my beloved Marauders and destroyed one of my ships. You have done no less. My pride will not stand such an insult. Even after he dies, I will not be satisfied. I will impose my people's power against all earthlings until no less than one hundred have been dealt the same fate as he. This Grimmle swears!" The large Luchin roared as his fists came down and slammed against the marble banister in front of him. The impact resonated in the chamber and sounded like thunder. The Luchin became excited and howled at their leader's declaration. Tenchi thought he was in a nightmare. These Luchin looked like werewolves. They had large muscular arms that seemed to hang to the floor and short powerful legs. They had the faces of dogs. Their claws scratched harshly against the marble floor as they moved. Kiyone was scared as well but brightened after hearing that Christian was alive and in this structure. All she had to do now was survive the impending onslaught of Luchin, free Christian and escape. It looked bleak but at least it was a plan. 

"Take the princess! Kill the rest!" Grimmle roared again. The Luchin raised their weapons and opened fire. They were smart enough to only circle the group half way as not to shoot their own people across the room. However, they didn't know about the princess's power. Her shield deflected the plasma rounds and sent a few back at her attackers. The Luchin managed to shoot four of their own. Grimmle growled in consternation. Washu stepped toward Grimmle and produced an orange sword like Ryoko's. She held it in front of her, saluting Grimmle. This pleased Grimmle and he laughed. 

"Ha! Very well. Put away your plasma rifles, Marauders!" Grimmle sounded. The Luchin slung their weapons behind their back. Ryoko produced two balls of energy in her hands and prepared to release them at the Luchin. 

"Ryoko! No!" Washu yelled. Ryoko looked at Washu but Washu was still looking at Grimmle. 

"Sabers!" Ordered Grimmle. The Luchin produced plasma sabers from their belts. The sabers burned red and the white marble of the walls now appeared to be as red as blood. Tenchi brought forth his blue blade and Ryoko created her orange blade. 

"Ayeka, protect Kiyone and Mihoshi." Washu said. 

"Marauders! One on one. Bring me victory and you shall have honor." Grimmle roared once more. The Luchin filed into three lines. Each line faced Tenchi, Ryoko or Washu. No sooner did the Luchin line up than the first in each line launched forward. Tenchi was surprised and was on the defensive for the first few assaults but he focused and pressed the attack until he disarmed his first assailant. Washu ducked and dodged the Luchin's attack until she saw an opening and marked her opponent. It only took a few marks before her attacker was too weary to fight. Ryoko, on the other hand, fought just as savagely if not more so than the Luchin. She swung her blade and countered each of her attacker's assaults until she found her opening. She jabbed her first opponent in the face. While he was dazed, she grabbed him by the neck and threw him across the room. She quickly turned back towards her line of attackers to face the next challenger. She wore a wicked smile and the next Luchin wasn't all that motivated to attack her. Grimmle looked down from his balcony and didn't like what he was seeing. One by one, his warriors were falling to the wayside until half of his warriors remained. Grimmle became enraged. He howled at the top of his lungs. The sound made all of the Luchin back to the walls with fear. Washu, Tenchi and Ryoko put their fingers in their ears. Grimmle leaped over the balcony and his landing shook the room. His red cape was spread around him so only the top of his head was visible. He looked up with a sneer. As he stood, everyone could see the marble beneath his feet and under his fists was shattered like glass. He reared up to his full height, which was twice as tall as Tenchi. 

"Posts!" Grimmle roared once more. The Luchin put away their sabers and lined up against the wall. Grimmle walked in front of them and growled his disapproval. He then stopped and strode to the middle of the chamber. 

"If I succeed where you failed, there will be hell to pay." Grimmle growled. He took off his cape, folded it, and handed it to one of the Luchin. He walked to the middle of the room once more and stood. He removed a plasma saber from his belt and it crackled to life. It was as large as a broadsword and it seemed to be an appropriate match to the leader of the Luchin. 

"Choose a champion!" Grimmle roared. Ryoko took a step forward but was halted by a hand on her shoulder. Tenchi stepped in front of Ryoko. 

"I'm not going to let you fight him." Ryoko complained. Tenchi faced Ryoko. 

"Ryoko, if I win we will be able to get out of here together. If I fail, it will be up to you to get the others out of here. You are their only hope." Tenchi finished. Ryoko looked at Tenchi. 

"Then you are our only hope because I'm not leaving here without you." Ryoko said. Tenchi nodded and faced Grimmle. Grimmle looked at Tenchi with disapproval. 

"This is your champion?" Grimmle laughed. Tenchi remained focused. 

"I was hoping to fight the woman in red. She fights like our queen." Grimmle laughed. 

"I think you will find more than you can handle with Tenchi." Ryoko taunted. 

"Hmph! We shall see." Grimmle snorted with contempt. The two brought their blades to the ready. 

***

For being an arrogant being, Grimmle proved to show signs of a skilled warrior. Although he was much larger and clearly stronger than Tenchi, he didn't underestimate him. The two circled each other. Tenchi paced with both hands on his hilt. The blade was held in front of Tenchi and it was pointed at Grimmle the whole time. Grimmle held his blade behind him and up. His leading hand was in front of him as if it was going to grab at Tenchi. Grimmle made a huge circle above his head with his blade but then he swung it low with both hands to slice off Tenchi's legs. Tenchi leaped over Grimmle's attack and lunged at the huge Luchin. Grimmle was surprised but he stepped out of the way and used his momentum to bring his blade around towards Tenchi's back. Tenchi sensed this and turned to block Grimmle's attack. Unfortunately, Grimmle's strike had more power than Tenchi could stop. Tenchi was knocked backwards and onto the floor. Grimmle didn't let up. He leaped high into the air and brought the point of his blazing broadsword down at Tenchi. Tenchi moved out of the way just in time. Grimmle's sword drove deep into the marble floor. Tenchi used his momentum to land a sweep in the back of Grimmle's knee. Grimmle flew back and slammed into the floor. Tenchi was about to press the attack when Grimmle raised his blade at Tenchi. The Luchin was back on his feet. Tenchi thought the Luchin would be angry but we wore a smile. 

"Well met. You surprise me." Grimmle grumbled. He brought his blade at Tenchi parallel to the floor. Tenchi ducked and countered but Grimmle quickly brought his blade back around and blocked Tenchi's counter. Grimmle brought his head down and bit Tenchi's shoulder viciously. Tenchi yelled in pain. Ryoko was about to step in when Washu stopped her. Ayeka screamed but there was nothing she could do either. Grimmle's teeth were deeply imbedded in Tenchi's right shoulder. Grimmle thought Tenchi was at his mercy and lowered his sword. Tenchi managed to switch hands with his sword behind his back. He brought his blade at Grimmle's head with his left arm. Grimmle saw this and let go of Tenchi to avoid the strike but he wasn't fast enough. The tip of Tenchi's blade sliced Grimmle's right eye and he would never see out of that eye again. Grimmle jumped back and clutched at his face as he howled in pain. Tenchi dropped to his knees when he was released but he was soon standing with his right arm hanging useless to his side. He took a step towards Grimmle and the Luchin raised his blade once more. Grimmle turned his head to stare at Tenchi with his good eye. Grimmle stood once more. He grumbled something no one but Luchin could understand and two of the Luchin along the wall stepped out of the chamber. Grimmle laughed once more. 

"You took my eye. Now I will take your life. But before that happens I want you to see something." Grimmle growled. The two Luchin stepped back into the chamber dragging someone with them. They threw their detainee into the middle of the chamber. The human was naked and was in miserable shape. His back was cut from lashes and he was bruised and bleeding from head to toe. At first the prisoner appeared to be dead but then he started to stir. He put one hand in front of himself to support his weight. The other was obviously broken in several places. He lifted his head and opened his blackened eyes to see Kiyone. 

"Good evening, Detective. I would have liked to have shown you Alaska." The prisoner managed before slipped into unconsciousness. 

"CHRISTIAN!!!" Kiyone screamed. She dashed for Christian before Ryoko had a chance to stop her. 

"Kiyone! Look out!" Mihoshi yelled. Kiyone didn't see Grimmle's huge fist streak for her until it was too late. His punch landed square in her chest. Kiyoned sailed backwards then slid to a stop on the floor in front of Ayeka. She was still conscious but in great pain from Grimmle's punch. A roar filled the room until everyone, including the Luchin, were forced to cover their ears. The roar did not come from Grimmle, however. Grimmle turned to face the source of the cry. He looked upon Tenchi. The three wings of the light hawk burned in front of him. Tenchi placed his two hands on the upper wings. Doing so, he was now clad in the robes of the keeper of the light hawk wings. He reached forward and clasped the remaining wing to form the light hawk sword. For the first time since his youth, Grimmle was afraid. He knew what the light hawk wings were but a boy who possessed them must be more powerful than he could ever imagine. Grimmle knew his end was at hand. He decided that he wouldn't go alone. Grimmle heaved his blade in the air above Christian. 

"DON'T!" Kiyone screamed again. Tenchi moved like lightning across the floor and stood between Christian and Grimmle with the light hawk sword at the point of follow through. Grimmle still stood with his blade over Christian ready to strike. Grimmle dropped to one knee then his torso separated from his waist and fell backwards. The Luchin sank to their knees and howled and groaned at the sight of their fallen lord. Kiyone stood back up and ran over to Christian. She didn't want to touch him for fear of hurting him. She put her hands on the back of his hands and started to cry. Christian's hand moved slightly. 

"Christian! You're alive!" Kiyone yelled with delight. 

"Yeah, but not for long if we don't get him out of here." Washu noted. 

"Tenchi, you cover our escape. Ryoko, you teleport Christian back to the infirmary on board Yagami. Everyone else, follow me." Washu yelled. Ryoko disappeared with Christian and the group headed for the way out. Tenchi sliced open the door and soon were all on their way to the surface. The Luchin were so grief stricken that they didn't even give chase. Everyone was aboard Yagami and headed for earth before the Luchin noticed they were gone. One of the Luchin finally stood. The one Grimmle handed his cape to spoke and donned the cape. 

"Lord Grimmle has fallen and now I assume his place." The Luchin spoke. The other Luchin looked to the new leader. 

"My first order of business as Lord of the Scarlet Sect is to attack earth." He spoke. The Luchin jumped to their feet and howled their agreement. The new leader raised his hand and the Luchin became silent. 

"Lord Grimmle is dead." He said. 

"Long live Lord Sorba!" The Luchin exclaimed. 

"We will attack earth and will not rest until every earthling has felt Lord Grimmle's hate from beyond the realm of the dead." Lord Sorba proclaimed. All the Luchin raised their red plasma blades above their heads. 

***

Mihoshi was crying while she piloted Yagami. It tore her to pieces seeing Christian in terrible shape but it hurt more seeing her partner in such agony. Kiyone wanted to stay with Christian so it was up to Mihoshi to pilot the ship. Washu had turned the cargo hold into a makeshift medical facility. Although Washu was able to alleviate much of Christian's pain, she didn't have right equipment to heal him. 

"What can I do?" Kiyone asked. Washu removed her gloves and looked at Kiyone. 

"There isn't anything you can do Kiyone, for the fifth time. I was able to give him pain killers and I stopped most of the bleeding but I can't do more than that until I get him in my lab." Washu explained. Kiyone jumped up and grabbed Washu by the collar. Kiyone dragged Washu out of the room before Washu could object. She stopped in the next compartment and remained silent. Washu straightened her clothes and remained calm. Kiyone looked like she was ready to burst. 

"What do you think?" Kiyone finally managed. 

"Can you be more specific?" Washu asked back. 

"You know what I mean. Don't make me say it." Kiyone said. Washu bowed her head. She did know what Kiyone was talking about. 

"It doesn't look good. Without going into detail, I would say he has maybe two days." Washu said. Kiyone's leg buckled and she put her hand on the wall to keep from falling. 

"I'm sorry Kiyone. I've done all I can. I am not capable of fixing his critical injuries but was able to fix his superficial injuries. I'm sure you will find him looking the same as he did before. Why don't you go talk to him? I'm sure he misses you every minute you aren't there." Washu explained. Kiyone knew Washu did all that she could but she felt like her world was coming to an end. She walked to the cargo bay and to Christian. Washu was very sad as well. She was reminded of how she felt when her son was taken from her while she was at the academy. The hair on Washu's neck stood up and she knew she wasn't alone. She turned and saw a figure leaning against the wall in the shadows. At first, Washu was at a loss. Ryo-Ohki ran from behind Washu and sat next to the figure. The figure looked at Washu. Washu's eyes narrowed when she saw two golden eyes peer out of the darkness. Ryoko bent over and picked up Ryo-Ohki and cradled the cabbit in her arms. She scratched Ryo-Ohki's ear and continued to look at Washu. 

"What are you up to, Ryoko?" Washu asked. This time, Ryoko's eyes narrowed but she didn't reply. Washu sprinted for Ryoko but she disappeared with Ryo-Ohki before Washu could get to her. 

"Get back here!" Washu yelled through her Psychic link. 

"I'll come back in due time. I have something to take care of." Ryoko replied. 

"You can't do that!" Washu yelled. "I must. Kiyone can't but I can...and I will." Ryoko finished. 

***

All the Luchin's preparations were complete and now the Scarlet Sect was gathered in the chamber that Grimmle and Tenchi battled. 

"My valiant warriors, it is time. Hunt down the lowly rabble that fell Lord Grimmle. Seek them out and have revenge!" Lord Sorba howled in the chamber. The Luchin turned and were headed for the marble archway that led to the surface when all of a sudden, the marble archway was blasted to rubble and the debris blocked the passage. Another series of shots were fired and the passage leading to the lower levels was blocked as well. The entire Scarlet Sect of the Luchin was now trapped in the marble chamber. The lights went out and all was silent. The Luchin turned and listened in the dark. Their hearing was good and they scanned the room for what caused the commotion. 

"Listen to me, Luchin." A clear feminine voice spoke in the darkness. The Luchin's heads turned toward the ceiling. 

"You warriors, in your foolish arrogance, have carried out an atrocity that can not be left unanswered. You have gravely wounded two people who are very dear to me. They will not recover from their injuries and neither shall you. They are not able to stand against you but I am. I am here now and I invite you to stand against my wrath if you can. Your pride caused your folly and now your pride will assist me in reaping retribution." The voice concluded. An orange saber illuminated the room and its light reflected the hate in Ryoko's eyes. The Luchin brandished their red sabers and charged Ryoko. The fight lasted about a half an hour. There would never be a Scarlet Sect of the Luchin again. 

***

Christian opened his eyes and looked at Kiyone. Her eyes were watered and it was all she could do to keep from bursting into tears. 

"Hi, Kiyone. You look like you have been through quite a lot. You shouldn't have done that on my account." Christian whispered. Kiyone smiled. 

"How do you feel?" Kiyone asked. 

"I feel tired." Christian replied and he closed his eyes. 

"You just hold on tight. We are going to be at Washu's lab soon and she will fix you up as good as new." Kiyone urged. Christian's eyes opened again and a bright warm smile lit up his face. He looked as though he was trying to laugh but laughter didn't come. 

"Thank you for trying to comfort me but I know that my end has come." Christian said. Kiyone looked very sad. Christian saw this. 

"Oh. Don't be sad. Everything must come to an end sooner or later. I very much doubt that we would expire at the same time anyway." Christian joked. 

"I don't think that's funny." Kiyone said. 

"Don't be so serious. I've lived much longer than a human being is supposed to. That doesn't matter. I'm just glad I met you before I left." Christian said. 

"I don't want you to go." Kiyone said through her sobs. Christian smiled brightly again as though he was going to laugh but, again, laughter failed him. 

"Do you think I want to go? I like it here but that can't be stopped now." Christian said. Kiyone nodded and looked depressed all over again. 

"There is something I would like to do before I go though." Christian said. 

"What?" Kiyone asked. 

"I want to show you Alaska." Christian said. 

"I don't think Mihoshi will have that much trouble flying there." Kiyone said with a smile. 

"No. I want to show _you_ Alaska. No one else." Christian said as he squeezed Kiyone's hand. 

"How are we going to get there? Ryoko took Ryo-Ohki and who knows when she'll..." Kiyone stopped. She looked up and Ryoko rematerialized. Ryoko was wearing her battle suit and she was in bad shape. Washu walked over to her and led her to another bed across the way. Ryoko looked at Kiyone and smiled as she walked away. Ryo-Ohki walked next to Washu and didn't look hurt at all. Kiyone looked back to Christian who was still smiling at her. 

"If they won't mind flying home on Ryo-Ohki, I would love to see Alaska." Kiyone said with a smile. 

"They better not mind after all the presents I bought them." Christian joked. 

"That's not very nice." Kiyone said. Christian was finally able to laugh and he laughed a little while. 

***

Christian and Kiyone lay down on the snow and gazed to the sky. The snow was about a meter deep but Kiyone put out some planks out so they wouldn't sink in. The sleeping bag Washu gave them worked extremely well. It was large enough for two people and was warm and soft, even when lying on ice. Or that's what Washu said. They weren't willing to test it. Only Kiyone's face felt chilled. There was no wind so the night didn't feel all that cold at all. Everyone agreed to Christian's request and they flew back to the Masaki residence on board Ryo-Ohki. Kiyone was able to trace the iridium Christian left in the ground so many years ago and put down in the same place. Christian was happy to see that the land had not been developed. Nor did he see any signs of development on the way there. Kiyone had dug out a small place in the snow before she put down the planks. She placed the sleeping bag in the small hole and it sat like a recliner. Kiyone helped Christian in first before she slid in behind him. It was a bit of trouble but Christian and Kiyone laughed at the awkward position. She put her arms underneath his and interlocked her fingers in front of his chest. Christian held Kiyone's hands in front of him. 

"How much longer?" Kiyone asked. 

"Who knows. They don't work on a schedule." Christian explained. 

"They may not come out at all?" Kiyone asked with a little surprise. 

"That is entirely possible but I think they are going to come out tonight." Christian said. Kiyone felt better. 

"Take this time to admire the countryside around you." Christian said. Kiyone looked around and saw the snow capped mountains in the distance even though the moon wasn't up. Kiyone stuck her right hand out of the sleeping bag and pressed down on the snow. The snow squeaked. Kiyone giggled. She quickly brought her hand back in and grabbed Christian's hands. She felt Christian jump a little. 

"Yahhh! That's cold." Christian alarmed before he laughed. 

"I told you the snow squeaked." Christian said as he rubbed Kiyone' hands. "Now I'm a believer." Kiyone joked. The two sat in silence for a long time as they looked at the sky. Kiyone never saw so many stars while she was on earth. She suddenly remembered Christian's condition and she squeezed him a little tighter. 

"What is it?" Christian asked. 

"I don't want you to go." Kiyone said. Christian remained silent for a few moments. He sighed before he spoke. 

"I don't want to go either. I love you more than anything in the universe. There is no way to stop what is going to happen. But listen to me. If you think more along these lines then maybe you will see that I'm not really going away." Christian explained. 

"I'm listening." Kiyone said. 

"I was born in 1698. That makes me 303 years old. I have seen much of this planet in my travels but even if there were others to live the same life I did, they would see much less of the planet than I did. You may even be able to see more of this planet in one year than most earthlings see in one lifetime." Christian said. 

"I don't understand." Kiyone said. "Look up and what do you see?" Christian asked. Kiyone looked up. 

"I see stars." Kiyone said. 

"Yes. But at this very moment what do you see?" Christian asked. Kiyone looked up again. "I see the last star on the handle of the Big Dipper." Kiyone said. 

"Very good. Now continue to look at it and tell me what you see." Christian instructed. 

"I see the starlight shifts from blue to white and back every few seconds." Kiyone said. Kiyone was starting to see how beautiful this one star was. "Excellent. Now look at the others." Christian said. Kiyone shifted her gaze to the stars that surround it. She drew in a deep breath. She felt as if though this was the first time she had ever seen stars in her life. There were big white stars and tiny flashing red stars. Some even looked green and violet. She was even able to see a manmade satellite fly quickly across the sky. Kiyone laughed in amazement. Christian laughed at Kiyone's discovery. She felt as though she was lost in a see of stars. 

"Now. What do you smell? What do you hear? How does the gentle breeze feel on your cheek?" Christian asked. Kiyone smelt the pine trees. She heard her heart beating. She felt the cool crisp breeze stoke her face like an icy touch. Kiyone was speechless for a few minutes. The whole world seemed new to her. It lived and danced like an endless ballet. She applied what Christian just showed her to other things. She noticed the smoothness of her fingernails. She saw shadows of the hills of snow roll across the valley. She heard the distant cry of a wolf. Kiyone snapped out of her state when a thought crossed her mind. 

"How does this keep you from going away?" Kiyone asked. Christian chuckled. 

"What you just experienced is what I experience whenever I take time to look around. You are the only person I've ever spoken to about this. You and I now will see the same things and it will belong to just to us. That's why I didn't want the others to come up here. You may have been too distracted by them to be able to see what I wanted you to see. Not just that but I only wanted you to see it. Whenever you feel lonely or you doubt that I'm with you, take a look around and see the things that I see. You will be looking through my eyes and we will never be apart." Christian finished. Kiyone hugged Christian and kissed his cheek. 

"Thank you." Kiyone said with a smile. Christian and Kiyone looked back to the sky once more. A green meteor streaked halfway across the sky before it exploded in white sparks. 

"Did you see that?" Kiyone almost yelled. Christian laughed. "Yes I did. Wasn't it great?" Christian said. Kiyone kept looking and before she knew it, a hazy green curtain descended from above. At first she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. Then the curtain became more distinct and it started to ripple as it filled the sky. Kiyone's mouth opened with wonder. Blues and reds mixed in seamlessly with the steady green. The ribbon of light moved across the sky and back. Kiyone couldn't blink and her eyes filled with tears. 

"It's...It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my entire life." Kiyone said through a choked up voice. 

"Yes." Christian said as he gripped her hand. Kiyone was speechless. She and Christian sat and watched the aurora for hours. Kiyone shifted her position a little and she felt Christians grip loosen. She squeezed his hand but he didn't return the gesture. 

"Christian?" Kiyone asked. Christian didn't reply. 

"Christian?!" She asked more urgently. He still didn't reply. She leaned over his shoulder and looked at his face. His eyes were closed and he had a pleasant smile on his face. She knew he was gone. Kiyone started to cry. The sun was starting to rise and the aurora and stars were fading with the coming of day. She held onto Christian tightly and slowly rocked back in forth. Kiyone's sadness turned bitter. She didn't like the stars. She didn't like the aurora. She didn't like being alone. The sun finally managed to climb over the mountains and sunlight burned white in the valley. Kiyone was now speechless. Clouds splashed over the mountains like huge waves breaking on a rocky shore. The wind picked up and blew through her hair. She looked at Christian. He still had the same smile on his face. The higher the sun climbed, the happier he seemed. Kiyone dried her tears and smiled. 

"I'm not going to let you leave me. I promise to never lose sight of the things that made you so happy. I'll never forget you. I'll always love you. Always." Kiyone whispered in Christian's ear. 

***

Dawn broke at the Masaki residence. Sasami woke up early and was getting a head start on breakfast. Ayeka was already up as well and she was watching the sun climb into the sky. Ryoko appeared in the living room and stood in front of the sofa next to the one Ayeka was sitting in. The two looked at one another. Tenchi was walking down the stairs and he saw the two ladies. He thought they were getting ready to kick of the day with their morning bout but something seemed different. 

"Good morning." Ayeka greeted. 

"Good morning." Ryoko greeted back as she took her seat. Tenchi couldn't believe his eyes. Noboyuki walked out of the kitchen with a newspaper in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. He sat down across from Ayeka. Mihoshi walked into the room and she was sobbing. Tenchi, Ayeka and Ryoko turned to face Mihoshi. 

"What's wrong Mihoshi?" Tenchi asked. 

"I feel so sorry for Kiyone and Christian. I can't stop crying and now I have a splitting headache." Mihoshi complained. The others weren't as physically emotional as Mihoshi but they all felt the same. Washu stepped through her lab door with a million-dollar smile. 

"Good morning everyone." Washu chimed. Tenchi was uneasy. Ryoko and Ayeka scowled at Washu. Mihoshi still cried. Washu walked to Mihoshi and handed her two pills. Mihoshi quickly downed them and her crying slowed and then stopped. Washu turned her attention to Ryoko and Ayeka. 

"What are you two looking at?" Washu asked. 

"You have some nerve Washu." Ryoko said. "Ryoko's right. How can you walk in here like nothing has happened?" Ayeka scolded. 

"What happened?" Washu asked. Everyone fell over. Tenchi stood and gathered himself. 

"Little Washu, don't you remember Christian's condition?" Tenchi asked. 

"Yes. And?" Washu asked again. 

"We don't understand how you could be so happy when Christian could be.." Tenchi was unable to finish. 

"Dead?" Washu finished for him. 

"Well, yes." Tenchi replied. Washu sighed. 

"I understand how you people are feeling and I was feeling the same way. I knew I couldn't fix Christian and he knew it more than I. He will die but that is no reason to be sorrowful. Christian went with Kiyone to enjoy his last moments on earth. He is having a good time and I think he would want us to do the same." Washu explained. The group looked thoughtful for a moment. 

"I still feel bad though." Tenchi explained. Lord Katsuhito stepped into the living room. 

"The reason you feel bad is because Christian and Kiyone love each other and now he is dying. This isn't their end. You can never unlove someone. As long as Kiyone goes on, so will their love. It all depends on how you look at it. The way you are looking at it is that Christian is going to leave just when he found Kiyone and that isn't fair. Am I right?" Lord Katsuhito asked. Tenchi nodded. 

"Try to think of it how Christian thought of it. He knew that he should have died on that piece of reef way back when. However, he lived and he found true love before he past on. He was given a second chance and he made the most of it. Don't be sad for his premature ending for it wasn't premature. Instead be happy that he lived beyond the time he was supposed to and he made Kiyone extremely happy for a short time." Lord Katsuhito finished. 

"But what about Kiyone? She may not feel the same way." Tenchi said. 

"I'm sure Christian told her how he would wants her to feel. Besides, there is nothing you can do about the way Kiyone feels. All you can do is decide how you feel." Lord Katsuhito said as he took his place at the table with a cup of tea. 

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Washu piped up. 

"No, you couldn't have." Lord Katsuhito teased. Washu stuck her tongue out at Lord Katsuhito. He smiled. Tenchi, Ayeka and Ryoko brightened. Ryoko looked at Noboyuki then looked at Ayeka. She smiled her trademark mischievous smile. 

"Well, he did buy all that stuff for me at the mall." Ryoko commented. 

"How tacky of you to say such a thing!" Ayeka argued. 

"What are you talking about? He bought you all that jewelry you wanted." Ryoko yelled back. 

"Yes he did but at least I don't have to use that as some kind of twisted complement." Ayeka said. 

"Come on. Do you two have to go at it every morning?" Tenchi asked. The two ladies ignored him. 

"You're just upset because I made out better than you did." Ryoko said. Ayeka became curious. She never did find out what kind of clothes Ryoko modeled for Tenchi. 

"What disastrous wardrobe did you put together anyway?" Ayeka questioned. Ryoko waited for Noboyuki to get a big mouthful of tea. 

"This kind!" Ryoko yelled. Ryoko whipped off her yellow and blue dress, exposing a very skimpy piece of lace that barely managed to cover all of her parts that needed to be covered. She quickly latched onto Tenchi before he had a chance to bolt. Noboyuki's eyes nearly popped out of his head. As if on cue, he spit all of his tea across the coffee table and all over Ayeka. Ryoko started to laugh as she continued to mall Tenchi. Ayeka was insulted, embarrassed, wet and furious. She knew Ryoko planned this. Tenchi tried to bolt again and but Ryoko drew him close. She wrapped her arms tight around Tenchi and lifted her knee to Tenchi's waste. A small trickle of blood came out of Tenchi's nose. Ryoko turned Tenchi's head to face Ayeka. 

"Look at that Ayeka. I think he likes it." Ryoko taunted. When Tenchi tried to bolt a third time, Ryoko let him go. She didn't want him to get hurt in the fight that was sure to come. Ayeka didn't even say a word. She summoned her power and attacked. Ryoko was surprised but was able to put up a hasty defense in the nick of time. The explosion knocked Ayeka and Ryoko out and the rest of the company suffered only minor injuries. 

***

Kiyone jumped down from Yagami's gangway and sent the ship back into its orbit. She saw there was still a little debris in the front yard from Ryoko an Ayeka's morning bout. She smiled at the thought of her friends getting back into their normal routine. She walked through the front door to see everyone coming together at the dining room table. Mihoshi jumped up from her seat and rushed Kiyone with a fountain of tears streaming from her eyes. 

"KIYONE!" Mihoshi yelled. Kiyone tried to dodge her partner's attack but Mihoshi closed the distance between the two with lightning speed. Kiyone found herself sprawled out on the floor with her partner hugging her waste and crying her eyes out. Kiyone felt the urge to try and pry her partner off of her like she usually did but then she was compelled to try something different. She patted Mihoshi's head. 

"It's ok Mihoshi. I'm fine." Kiyone said with a smile. Mihoshi looked up at her partner and she knew that Kiyone was being genuine. She let go and stood up. Mihoshi didn't stop crying though. Kiyone put her hand around her partner's shoulder and walked her to the table. Kiyone sat down in her normal spot. 

"I hope everyone is ok. I'm sorry that I've been away when you may have needed me." Kiyone said. The group looked shocked. 

"We thought it would be you who needed us." Ayeka said. 

"Some of us thought." Washu corrected as she sipped her tea. 

"How do you feel?" Tenchi asked. 

"I'm fine. No, I'm better than that. I feel great." Kiyone announced. The group looked even more surprised. They all then smiled as their concern melted away. 

"Where's Christian?" Mihoshi blurted. Everyone felt like that was the worst thing that could have been said and they all looked at Mihoshi menacingly to convey their feelings. Mihoshi could feel their look and she sank low in her seat. 

"It's alright. Christian is in Alaska right now. He is enjoying his most favorite place. I'll take you all up over there to see him some day." Kiyone offered. 

"Kiyone!" Sasami spouted as she stepped into the dining area with a tray of bowls of Miso in her hands. She hurried to the table and sat the tray down then she ran to Kiyone and gave her a big hug. 

"Thank you, Sasami." Kiyone said as she released the little girl. Sasami went back to her tray and passed around the bowls of soup. Sasami then hurried back into the kitchen. Ayeka tried to explain to Kiyone how Ryoko was responsible for the mess. Ryoko and Ayeka started to argue once again. Kiyone picked up her chopsticks and looked into her bowl of soup. She stuck her chopsticks in and stirred until the sediment at the bottom boiled up like a thunderstorm. Kiyone placed her chopsticks on the their stand she cupped both of her hands beneath the bowl. She enjoyed the warmth of the bowl and the way it radiated up her arms. She lifted the bowl and smelt the salty tang. She closed her eyes and took a sip. She felt the warm liquid run down her throat and into her stomach. She placed the bowl on the table and smiled. Kiyone looked up to see everyone else was paying attention to Ryoko and Ayeka's argument, except Lord Katsuhito. He was looking at Kiyone with a big smile on his face. He looked as though Kiyone and he shared a secret. 

"How is the soup?" He asked. Kiyone brightened. 

"It is very good." Kiyone replied. 

"I think so too." Lord Katsuhito agreed. Just then a few dull chimes were barely noticed over Ayeka and Ryoko's shouting. The room became silent and the melody played on. Sasami walked back into the room with the main dishes. She sat the tray down on the table then stood still to listen to the melody she didn't here before. Kiyone reached into her pocket and pulled out the little music box Christian gave her. The melody slowed. Kiyone wound the crank a few times and the melody resumed at normal speed. The house was silent except for the melody. Kiyone smiled brightly at the memory of the night she received it. 

"What a pretty song!" Sasami exclaimed. Kiyone continued to stare at the little device when she replied. 

"Yes it is." 

THE END

How did you like it? Please send comments to ksgalvestonian@aol.com


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